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THE  WORLDJS  WONDERS, 

AS    SEEN    BY    THE    GREAT 

Tropical  and  Polar  Explorers. 

BEING  AN 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  EXPiORATION,  DISCOVERY  AND  ADVENTURE 

IN    ALL    PARTS    OF    THE    WORLD, 

AND  A  HISTORY  OF  SAVAGE  RACES  OF  MEN,  CURIOUS  AND  FEROCIOUS 

ANIMALS,  STRANGE  AND  DEADLY  SERPENTS  AND  REPTILES, 

WEIRD  FORESTS,  MYSTERIOUS  GROWTHS,  AND 

MARVELOUS  NATURAL  PHENOMENA. 

EMBRACING  EVKRY  IMPORTANT  DISCOVERY  AND  ADVENTURE  IN  THE  EXPLORATIONS  OF 

SUCH   DISTINGUISHED  TRAVELERS  AS  SPEKE  AND  GRANT,  SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER 

AND  WIFE,  LIVINGSTONE,  STANLEY,  DU  CHAILLU,  WALLACE,   LONG, 

SQUIER,  GORDON,   &C.,  &C.,  IN  TROPICAL  WILDS; 

ALSO,  OF  SUCH  RENOWNED  HEROES  OF  ARCTIC  RESEARCH  AS  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN,  DR. 

KANE,  DR.  HAYES,  CAPT.  HALL,  LIEUT.  SCHWATKA,  DE  LONG  AND  MANY 

OTHERS;  WITH  A  FULL  AND  OFFICIAL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

( aiEELY  EXPEDITION  AND  ITS  DISASTROUS  RESULTS 
BY  J.  W.    BUEL, 

Author  of  "Travels  in  Russia  and  Siberia"  " 'Heroes  of  the  Plains"  &c.,  &*c. 

SPLEJTOIDLY  EMBELLISHED    WITH 

TWO  HUNDRED  BEAUTIFUL  ENGRAVINGS 

FROM  DESIGN'S  BY  THE  EXPLORERS  THEMSELVES. 

"Such  books  teach  most  valuable  lessons  of  self-control,  patience  and  courage."1 — Christian 
Intelligencer. 

' '  We  cannot  conceive  of  a  more  useful  book  than  this  romantic  record  to  put  in  the  hands  of 
young  people.  Give  them  facts  in  proper  setting,  and  they  will  have  little  taste  for 
dime  novels." — Christian  Advocate. 

"Such  works  are  not  only  entertaining  and  informing,  but  their  whole  atmosphere  is  brac- 
ing."— New  York  Observer. 


SOLD    ONLY  BY  SUBSCRIPTION. 


HISTORICAL    PUBLISHING*    COMPANY. 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA.  ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 


Copyright,  1884, 

by 
J.  W.  NORTH. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


THE  great  and  universal  need  of  an  encyclopedia  of  travel  and 
discovery,  and  a  compendium  of  the  most  remarkable  natural 
wonders  of  the  world,  has  prompted  the  production  of  this 
book.  In  it  I  have  attempted  to  combine  the  discoveries  and 
adventures  of  all  the  noted  travelers  and  explorers  in  Tropical 
and  Arctic  fields,  and  in  so  doing  to  also  furnish  a  history  and 
description  of  the  animals,  reptiles,  birds,  and  savage  races  of 
men,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  not  omitting  the  natural  phe- 
nomena peculiar  to  the  Tropics  and  the  Arctic  regions. 

In  the  restless  and  ambitious  disposition  of  mankind  there  is 
more  than  curiosity,  or  a  misdirected  desire  for  familiarity  with 
remote  or  insular  phases  of  nature,  for  there  is  also  that  more 
wisely  considerate  wish  for  such  extended  knowledge  as  not  alone 
gratifies  curiosity,  but  which  stimulates  and  energizes  an  am- 
bition to  extend  the  domain  of  civilization,  with  its  attendant 
resources  and  comforts. 

In  the  preparation  of  a  work  so  comprehensive  in  scope,  it 
was  necessary  to  give  careful  perusal  to  scores  of  standard  publi- 
cations, and  to  collate  with  critical  discrimination  from  them  all ; 
for  condensation  was  imperative,  and  yet  every  interesting  or 
valuable  incident  found  in  the  histories  from  which  this  is  com- 
piled, must  needs  find  place  in  its  appropriate  narrative.  The 
principal  authors  consulted  on  Tropical  discovery  are  :  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone, Sir  Samuel  Baker,  Capts.  Speke  and  Grant,  Stanley, 
DuChaillu,  Wallace,  Squier,  Long,  Cummings,  and  many  others 


205119O 


IV  INTRODUCTORY. 

of  less  note,  while  in  describing  Polar  exploration,  free  use  has 
been  made  of  the  works  of  such  distinguished  explorers  as  Sir 
John  Franklin,  Capt.  McClintock,  Dr.  Kane,  Dr.  Hays,  Capt. 
Hall,  Lieut.  Schwatka,  Lieut.  DeLong,  Lieut.  Greely,  and 
others. 

The  matter  of  this  book  does  not  pretend  to  originality,  save 
as  an  attempt  to  combine  a  very  large  number  of  books  into  one 
volume,  so  arranged  as  to  give  clearly  the  important  adventures 
and  discoveries  of  all  the  renowned  travelers  of  the  past  several 
centuries.  In  this  it  may  be  properly  classed  as  an  original 
work  and  one  of  inestimable  value,  particularly  to  the  young, 
since  for  them  :',  mast  possess  such  interest  as  to  lead  them  from 
the  vicious  literature  of  the  day  and  inculcate  a  desire  for  whole- 
some reading,  and  an  ambition  to  learn  more  of  the  wonders  of 
the  world,  the  rounds  to  that  mystic  ladder  which  reaches  up- 
ward from  nature  unto  nature's  God. 

This  book  is  intended  to  occupy  a  place  in  the  literature  of 
travel,  adventure  and  exploration  that  is  filled  by  encyclopedias 
of  general  knowledge,  and  its  mission  is  to  not  only  instruct,  but 
also  to  inspire  a  lofty  courage  and  generous  ambition  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  to  the  end  that  dark  places  may  become  lighted 
by  the  lamp  of  a  wise  intelligence,  and  the  whole  earth  be 
reclaimed  and  made  fruitful  with  the  blessings  of  a  perfect 

civilization. 

J.  W.  BUEL. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Village  of  the  Malay  Archipelago ....     8 

Beautiful  Birds  of  Paradise 10 

The  Baby  Mias 12 

Battle  with  a  Mias 14 

Skull  of  the  Pig  Deer 16 

A  Struggle  with  a  Python 18 

Making  Sago 20 

Native  Men  of  the  Malay  Archipelago  22 

Native  Papuan 23 

A  Dyak  Girl 24 

A  Brazilian  Forest 32 

Steamship  and  Water-Spout 36 

Volcanic  Eruption  in  Island  of  Java..   38 
Descendants  of  the  Ancient  Peruvians  47 

Forest  along  the  Amazon  River 52 

The  Two-Horned  Rhinoceros 63 

Close  Quarters 65 

A  Lucky  Shot 66 

Sii  boko  and  his  Slaves 69 

The  Royal  Musicians 72 

Speke  and  the  Rhinoceros  Head 76 

"  N'Yanzziging"  to  a  Superior 80 

Mtesa  and  his  Dog 85 

Leading  a  Wife  to  Execution 89 

Licking  up  the  Pombe 91 

Capt.  Speke  saves  the  Queen's  Life. ..  94 

Mtesa  Reviewing  his  Army 96 

The  Palace  Guards  at  Dinner 98 

The  Rain-Doctor  receives  his  Reward.  107 

Kamrasi  on  his  Throne 108 

The  Frolicsome  Dwarf no 

Mohamed's  Return 116 

Sir  Samuel  Baker  and  his  Wife 122 

Drawing  the  Hippopotamus  Ashore..  129 

The  Chief  and  his  Daughter 132 

A  Shir  Village  and  Man  and  Woman . .  134 
Baker  Entertains  Speke  and  Grant.. . .  140 

Baker  quells  the  Mutiny 155 

Latooka  Funeral  Dance 1 60 

Hunting  Large  Game 164 

Chased  by  a  mad  Elephant 166 

The  old  Sorcerer  on  his  Travels 1 74 

Latooka  Natives  and  Village 177 

Kamrasi's  Men  manifest  their  Delight .  185 

•"  The  Devil's  Own  " 190 

Native  Band  and  Musical  Instruments .  1 97 
Kamrasi's  Audience  Chamber 202 


Brewing  and  Drinking  Pombe. 204 

A  Savage  Dance 211 

Killing  a  Crocodile 224 

Slave  Gang 226 

Terrible  fate  of  the  Blind  Sheik 228 

The  savages  driving  the  cattle  off. . . .  236 

Towing  the  Crocodile  ashore 239 

Elephants  in  the  river 241 

Elephant  shaking  down  fruit 243 

Music-charmed  savages 248 

Kabba  Rega  comes  in  state 251 

The   Bonosoora 261 

Fight  with  the  Natives 265 

Ambushed  at  every  hill 268 

Spearing  game  in  the  net 272 

The  Drive  of  Game 274 

Women  assisting  in  the  Hunt 276 

Charge  of  the  Lioness 278 

Defeat  of  Wat-el-Mek's  party 281 

Dr.  David  Livingstone 284 

Livingstone  Attacked  by  a  Lion 287 

Scene  of  the  Grand  Hunt 289 

Feasting  after  the  Hunt 291 

Women  filling  egg-shells  with  water.  .293 

Three  Lions  attack  a  Buffalo 299 

A  Buffalo  Cow  Killing  a  Lion 301 

Hippopotami  and  young 306 

Wedding  Dance  of  Angola  Girls 314 

Attacted  by  a  mad  Hippopotamus ....  320 

Victoria  Falls 322 

Frightened  Buffaloes 329 

Native  African  Family 332 

Traveling  Overland  in  Africa 335 

Terrible  Fight  with  a  Leopard 346 

Slaves  Abandoned  to  Die 351 

A  Royal  Wedding ••••357 

Livingstone  visiting  the  Cave-Dwellers  361 
Animals  fleeing  from  an  Overflow ....  363 

Catching  Ants  for  Food 372 

Fight  with  Sokos 379 

Manyuema  Warriors 380 

Arabs  murdering  Natives 385 

Livingstone  waylaid  in  the  Jungle ....  387 

Crossing  the  Water 392 

The  Last  Day's  March 395 

Wasting  Cartridges  on  Hippopotami.  .405 
Women  Working  in  the  Fields 407 


n 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 
The  Slave  Gang 409 

Traveling  by  Water. 414 

Wagogo  Warriors.... 422 

Taking"Dowa" 428 

The  Hunter's  Paradise 430 

The  Mutiny  in  Camp 432 

Dr.  Livingstone  Found 436 

Stanley  and  the  Friendly  Elephant... .440 

A  Moment  of  Peril 443 

Natural  Bridge  Island 449 

Mtesa  and  his  Principal  Officers 454 

Human  Sacrifices ,  .457 

Mtesa' s  Council  Chamber 465 

The  High  Priest 470 

Stanley's  War  Boat 472 

Watuta  Warrior 475 

Types  of  Manyuema 479 

The  Manyuema  Village 481 

Lip  Ring  and  Peculiar  Hair  Dressing.483 

Horrible  Feast  of  the  Cannibals 485 

Native  Blacksmiths 490 

Dragging  the  Boats  around  the  Rapids.49i 
Cannibal  Warriors  seen  by  Stanley . .  .496 

A  Cannibal  Village 498 

A  Fight  on  the  River 501 

King  Chumbiri 503 

One  of  Chumbiri's  Wives 503 

Women  of  Ngoyo  Fishing 508 

The  Expedition  at  Nsanda 510 

Shooting  the  Gorilla 516 

TheCannibal  King 518 

Adventure  with  a  Snake 523 

The  Leopard  and  the  Buffalo 525 

King  Bango  and  his  Subjects 527 

Tossed  by  a  Buffalo 529 

Capture  of  a  Baby  Gorilla 531 

The  Nest-Building  Ape 533 

Leopard  and  Crocodile  Fighting 535 

The  Witch  Doctor 537 

Gorilla  breaking  the  Gun 539 

Gorilla  striking  the  Hunter 541 

Gorillas  surprised  in  a  Forest 543 

Gorilla  Dance 548 

A  Cannibal  Queen  in  Battle 550 

Native  Women  Mourning 552 

Beheading  Victims  of  Witchcraft 554 

Du  Chaillu  and  the  Dwarfs 556 

The  Great  King  Munza 558 

Carrying  a  Snake  into  Camp 560 

Birds-Eye  View  of  Victoria  Falls 562 

Sir  John  Franklin 569 

Ships  Frozen  Up 572 


Page. 

The  Jeannette ...... 579 

Lieut.  Greely 583 

Highest  Northern  Point  Reached 588 

Lieut.  Greely's  Dog  Sledge 594 

The  Camp  in  the  Snow . .  „ 597 

Elison  Succumbing  on  the  M  arch 599. 

Death  of  Sergeant  Rice 606 

Sinking  of  Capt.  Leigh  Smith's  Ship . .  610 
Discovery  of  the  Frozen  Elephant ....  637 
Dr.  Kane's  Ship  and  Sledge  Parties.. 642 

Esquimau  Dogs 645 

Types  of  Esquimaux 647 

Esquimaux  Woman  and  Child 649 

Inside  an  Esquimaux  Igloo 650 

Sailors  Killing  Seals  with  Clubs 652 

Esquimaux  Hunting  Seals 654 

Shooting  Seals  from  behind  a  Screen . .  656 

The  Bear  and  Dr.  Kane's  Dogs 658 

The  Dead  Bear  and  her  Cubs . .  660 

A  Sociable  Bear 662 

Fight  between  Bears  and  a  Walrus... .664 

Battle  with  a  Walrus 668 

Hunting  Reindeer 674 

Hunting  Musk-Oxen 676 

Artie  Ptarmigan 683 

Woman  Fishing  through  the  Ice 691 

Serpentine  Aurora 693 

Wonderful  Aurora  seen  by  Capt.  Hall. 695 

Iceberg  seen  by  Capt.  Ross  700 

Dr.  Kane's  Ship  in  Drift-ice 702 

Dr.  Kane's  Perilous  Journey 708 

Huts  on  the  Ice-Floe 710 

Esquimau  Joe  going  for  the  Seal 712 

Joe  and  Hans  Killing  the  Bear. 714 

A  night  of  Horror 716 

Rescue  of  Capt.  Tyson's  Party 718 

The  Netchillik  Ambassadress 722 

Schwatka  on  King  William's  Land.. ..724 

Tennyson's  Monument 726 

Esquimaux  meeting  Dr.  Hayes "J2& 

An  Esquimau  Dandy 731 

An  Esquimau  Sledge 733 

Dr.  Hayes  and  his  Savage  Visitors... .735 
Discovery  of  the  Boat  and  Skeletons.. 741 

Drifting  to  Death 745 

Wreck  of  the  "  Jeannette  " 754 

Separation  of  the  Boats 75^ 

Landing  of  DeLong's  Boat 760 

Huts  of  Siberian  Exiles 762 

Melville's  Search  Party 764 

Discovery  of  DeLong's  Body 766 

Grave  of  DeLong  and  Companions.  .767 


CONTENTS. 


THE   TROPICAL   WORLD. 


THE  MALAY  ARCHIPELAGO.— Indescribable  Beauties— Hunting  the  Orang  Utan 
— Fights  between  the  Mias  and  the  Crocodile — How  the  Mias  Kills  the  Python — 
Man-Eating  Tigers — The  Lombock  Suicides — The  Pig-Deer  of  Celebes — Adventure 
with  a  Python — Birds  of  Paradise — Making  Cakes  of  the  Sago  Palm — The  Papuan 
People — Their  Remarkable  Honesty — Absence  of  all  Religious  Belief — New  Guinea, 
the  Unexplored — A  Primitive  Clock — Wonderful  Gold  Fields 9 — 25 

CHAPTER  I. — Buckle's  observations  on  Brazil — Opposite  effects  of  the  sun — Ferocious 
Beasts  and  deadly  Diseases — Ocean  Vapors — Electrical  effects  of  Vapors — Cause  of 
the  Peculiar  taste  of  Rain  water — The  Great  Equatorial  Currents — How  they  are  Pro- 
duced— The  Great  Gulf  Stream — Its  Direction  and  Effects  on  Climate — What  led 
Columbus  to  Continue  Westward — Remarkable  Effects  of  Ocean  Currents  on  the 
Coast  of  Alaska — Great  Air  Currents — How  they  are  Produced — Deluges  in  Brazil — 
The  Change  of  Seasons — Tornadoes,  Whirlwinds,  Cyclones  and  Water  spouts — The 
Great  Hurricane  of  1866 — Formation  of  Whirlwinds  and  Cyclones — Two  Theories  as 
to  how  Islands  are  formed — Wonderful  Coral  Islands — The  Great  Coral  Sea — 
People,  Animals,  Birds  and  Vegetation 25 — 41 

CHAPTER  II. — The  Great  Plateau  and  its  Wonders— The  Great  Condor— Ascending 
the  Wonderful  Puna — At  an  Altitude  where  fire  is  Quenched — Insensibility  Produced 
by  rarified  Air — Precautions  to  be  taken  in  Ascending  Great  Mountains — Water-fowls 
in  the  Lagoons — Close  Proximity  of  Winter  and  Summer — The  Sacred  Lake  Titicaca 
— The  Sacred  Island — A  Beautiful  Legend — City  of  the  Sun— Civilization  and  wealth 
of  the  Incas — The  Sacred  Rock  of  Manco  Capac — Footprints  of  a  God — Fountain  of 
the  Incas — The  Vale  of  Imperial  Delights — Wonderful  Ruins  of  a  Palace  built  by  the 
Deity — 1200  Miles  of  Roadway  built  of  large  square  stones — A  Wonderful  Ancient 
Postal  Service — Wonders  of  Mexico  and  Central  America — Ancient  Paintings,  and 
Exquisite  Statuary — Is  our  present  Civilization  Equal  to  that  of  Ancient  Peru — Does 
Civilization  Rise  and  Fall  like  the  Tides  of  the  Sea — Proofs  that  it  does — The  Won- 
derful Amazon  River — Its  Length,  Depth,  and  Characteristics — Great  Tidal  Waves — 

Reptiles  in  its  waters — Ferocious  Beasts  and  their  Peculiarities 41 — 54 

1 


THE  WORLD  8  WONDERS. 


AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  III.— Ancient  Discoveries — The  most  Wonderful  of  all  Countries — Ancient 
Splendor  of  North  Africa — Birth  place  of  the  Cross  and  Crescent — Earliest  Explora- 
tions— John  Ogilby's  History — Ancient  Literature  Concerning  Africa — Disadvantages 
of  Native  Africans — The  Wonders  of  Egypt — The  People — Infamous  Laws — Building 
of  the  Pyramids  and  other  Great  Undertakings — The  Slave  Mark  which  Ham  bore — 
Modern  travels  through  Africa — The  Source  of  the  Nile  known  two  Centuries  ago — 
Wonders  of  the  Nile— EXPLORATIONS  OF  CAPTAINS  SPEKE  AND  GRANT 
— Preparations  for  the  Journey — The  Scientific  Requirements  of  an  Expedition — First 
Sight  of  Hippotami — Traces  of  big  Game — The  people  of  Ugogo — A  Rhinoceros 
Hunt — Shooting  by  Moonlight — A  Grotesque  Scene — Another  Rhinoceros  Hunt — 
Hunting  Buffaloes — Three  Exciting  Encounters — Fifty  Lashes  for  Desertion — Hold- 
ing a  King  Accountable — Recruiting  the  Force — The  Land  of  the  Moon 54 — 67 

CHAPTER  IV. — Between  two  Fires — Manua  Sera,  the  Guerilla  Chief — Seeking 
Speke's  Aid — Meeting  with  an  old  Friend ;  Queen  of  a  Tribe — Liberation  of  a  Slave 
— Circumcision  among  the  Natives — King  Rumanika — The  old  King's  Delight — Fat 
Wives — Entertained  by  Native  Musicians — Deciding  the  Right  to  Rule  by  Magic — A 
Mystic  Drum  and  three  Mighty  Maggots — Buying  five  Maidens  and  fifty  Cows  with 
a  dead  King — More  Magical  tests — Freaks  of  a  Spirit-directed  Thunderbolt — More 
Rhinoceros  Hunting — A  Magic  Gun — A  Narrow  Escape — Pigmies  and  Giants — 
Savage  Royalty — How  Subjects  Manifest  their  Loyalty — Drilling  with  a  Red-hot  Iron 
— Presentation  of  young  Virgins — The  Royal  Magicians — The  King's  Magic  Horn — 
Killing  Subjects  for  looking  at  the  King — A  Sport-loving  Boy  King — Shooting  a  man 
for  fun — Visit  to  the  King — Only  a  Woman  Shot — Shooting  Birds  by  Magic — Mtesa 
Dressed  like  an  Organ-grinder's  Monkey — Executions  every  day — A  Monstrously  fat 
Queen — Savage  Cruelties — Sentences  of  an  old  Man  and  a  young  Girl — Horrible  death 
of  one  of  the  King's  Officers — Cutting  a  Page's  ears  off — Captain  Speke  saves  the 
Queen's  life — The  King  Reviewing  his  Army — Grant's  Arrival  with  Supplies — Sacri- 
fice of  a  child — Departure  of  the  Expedition  for  Unyoro 67 — 100 

CHAPTER  V. — Hard  Travelling  to  reach  the  Nile — Among  Crocodiles  and  Hippopot- 
ami— A  wonderful  Country — Discovering  the  Nile's  Source — The  Victoria  N'yanza 
— A  fight  on  the  Lake — Carbine  against  Spears — An  Elephant  Hunt — Dogs  with 
Horns — Kidgwiga's  Wonderful  Stories — Feasting  on  Mountains,  Lakes  and  Human 
Flesh — A  Wonderful  Sorcerer — How  he  Found  a  Stolen  Water  gauge — Meeting  with 
King  Kamrasi — Another  Royal  Beggar — Kamrasi'sold  Maid  Sisters — Offering  to  cut 
up  four  Wives  for  Amusement — Delays  and  Broken  Promises — African  Twins — The 
queer  Dwarf — Buying  Liberty  from  Kamrasi — Departure  of  the  Expedition  for 
Madi IOI — 112 

CHAPTER  VI. — Down  the  Kafu  River  in  Canoes — A  Pleasant  Journey — A  Wise  Man 
of  Africa — Instruments  for  killing  Elephants — Remarkable  Fish — Visit  to  Chongi — 
Ceremony  of  the  Meeting — Naked  people — A  Happy  Meeting  not  Wholly  Unalloyed 
— Mahamed,  a  Turkish  Trader — An  old  Scoundrel — How  Mahamed  outwHted  Speke 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS.  6 

— An  Interesting  Hunt;  Rhinoceri,  Buffaloes  and  Elands — In  close  Quarters  again — 
Joy  of  the  Villagers  over  a  Supper  of  Meat — Journey  to  Gondokoro — Meeting  with 
Sir  Samuel  Baker — Splendid  News — Speke's  Conclusions — Only  eighteen  faithful  out 
of  three  hundred — The  Net  Results  of  Speke's  Expedition — What  may  be  said  in  favor 
of  Speke 111—121 

EXPEDITION  OF  SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER. 

CHAPTER  VII. — Off  for  the  Nile— Mrs.  Baker  Accompanies  her  Husband — "  Whither 
Thou  goest  I  will  go  " — Preparations  for  the  Journey  at  Berber — Difficulties — A 
Fight — The  first  Death — A  Fatal  Buffalo  Hunt — Meeting  with  a  Strange  People — 
Charcoal  Smokers — Novel  Contest  with  a  Hippopotamus — Ludicrous  Argument 
among  the  Blacks — Another  strange  Race  of  People — Starving  in  the  midst  of  plenty, 
— Living  on  Lizards  and  Snakes — Harpooning  fish — A  Kytch  Chief  and  his  pretty 
Daughter — Naked  Savages — Fighting  Black  Amazons — The  Aliab  Tribe — Descrip- 
tion of  their  Homes  and  Manners  of  Life — The  Shir  Tribe — Quaint  Costumes  for 
naked  People — The  Women  and  Warriors 121 — 135 

CHAPTER  VIII. — Arrival  at  Gondokoro— Characteristics  of  the  Bari  Tribe— Their 
dress  and  weapons — Poisoned  Arrows — Terrible  effects  of  an  Arrow  Wound — Victims 
for  Crocodiles — Fight  between  Baker  and  a  Mutineer — A  Troublesome  Bird — Moham- 
med's Treachery — A  Dreadful  Plot  Discovered — A  little  Boy's  Nerve  and  Faithful- 
ness— Cruel  Treatment  of  two  Slave  Women — An  Apollo  Chief — Going  to  the  Latooka 
Country — Opposed  by  Turkish  Traders — Curious  Natives — The  Monkey  and  the 
Negroes — Legge,  the  Chief,  and  how  he  made  himself  "at  home" — Dead  Men's 
Bones — Chief  Moy  and  his  pretty  wife — A  Funeral  Dance 136 — 147 

CHAPTER  IX. — On  the  March  to  Latooka— Two  Lucky  Deserters — A  Disgusting 
Repast — Besieged  by  Curious  Natives — The  Friendly  Humpback — Mrs.  Baker  is 
declared  to  be  a  boy — A  Monkey  and  old  Ibrahim — Making  terms  with  Ibrahim — 
The  Bari  People — Through  a  Game  Country — Lions  and  Buffaloes — Arrival  at  Latome 
• — A  big  Turkish  row — A  Terrible  Prophesy — Its  Fulfillment — Baker  hailed  as  a  Great 
Magician — A  Plentiful  crop  of  Dead  Men's  bones — Threatened  Attack — An  African 
Prince's  Argument  on  the  Hereafter — Elephant  Hunting — Three  Narrow  Escapes  in 
one  day 147 — 169 

CHAPTER  X. — The  Cannibals— Power  of  a  Royal  Sorcerer — A  fine  old  Chief— Poison 
Yams — Strange  Customs — Baboons  and  Giraffes — A  Monster  Snake — Killing  a 
Jumbo  Elephant — Wild  Boars — A  visit  of  State — Departure  for  Unyoro — Reception 
by  King  Kamrasi — Sick  and  troubled — The  Royal  Beggar 169 — 188 

CHAPTER  XI. — Departure  for  the  Lake — Kamrasi  proposes  an  exchange  of  wives — 
A  Satanic  Guard — An  hour  of  Sorest  Trial — Life  out  of  Death — Discovery  of  Albert 
Lake — Salt  Making  in  Africa — A  Sail  on  the  Lake — Ascending  the  Somerest  River — 
Meeting  with  a  Spurious  King — Kamrasi  begs  Baker  to  Fight  his  Battles — A  Great 
Battle — Kamrasi  in  a  Cowardly  Retreat 188 — 209 

CHAPTER  XII. — Adieu  to  Kamrasi — Man's  Inhumanity — Cruelties  of  the  Slave 
Hunters — Homeward  March — A  Sad  Scene — Attacked  by  Bari  Savages — The  Boats 
are  Gone — The  Plague — In  a  Boat  with  Death — Poor  little  Saat — Arrival  at  Khar- 
toum-—Net  Results  of  Baker's  Expedition. ...... 210—216 


4  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

BAKER'S  SECOND  EXPEDITION  INTO  AFRICA. 

CHAPTER  XIII.— Suppression  of  the  Slave  Trade — Purposes  and  Equipment  of  the 
Second  Expedition — Departure  of  the  Fleet — Attacked  by  a  Hippopotamus — Fine 
Sport  along  the  River — Liberating  Slaves — A  Hippopotamus  Kills  a  Man — Capture 
of  a  Slaver — Attacked  by  a  Vicious  Hippopotamus 220 — 234 

CHAPTER  XIV.— Arrival  at  Gondokoro— An  Attack  by  the  Bar i's— Soldiers  Eaten 
by  Crocodiles — Elephants  and  Hippopotami — Starting  for  the  Albert  N'Yanza — 
Wonderful  Strength  of  the  Elephant — In  a  Nest  of  Slave  Hunters — Establishing  a 
Government — A  Wonderful  Rain-Maker — A  Dangerous  Lump  of  Iron — Music 
Charmed  Savages — King  Kabba  Rega — Suspicions — Tortures  Inflicted  by  Slave 
Hunters — A  Royal  Funeral 234 — 256 

CHAPTER  XV.— Traffic  in  Slaves— A  Loving  Father— Kabba  Rega's  Bonosoora— A 
Wonderful  Entertainment — Treachery  and  a  Great  Battle — Cutting  their  Way 
Through — A  Curious  Bird — Meeting  with  Rionga — The  Cannibals — A  Great  Hunt — 
How  the  Natives  Care  for  their  Babies — Adventure  with  a  Lioness — A  Peaceful  Gov- 
ernment— Return  to  Gondokoro — Results  of  the  Expedition 257 — 283 

LIVINGSTONE'S  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

CHAPTER  XVI. — Missionary  Service  and  First  Adventure — Stricken  Down  by  a  Lion 
— Entrapping  Large  Game — The  Hoppo — Crossing  an  African  Desert — Wonderful 
Plants  of  the  Desert — A  Beautiful  Mirage — Diseases  of  Lions  and  other  Animals — A 
Thrilling  Incident — Serpents — Some  of  the  Most  Dangerous  in  Africa — Vicissitudes 
of  Missionary  Service — Ludicrous  Scenes  at  Church 283 — 307 

CHAPTER  XVII. — Dangers  from  Alligators — Among  Female  Chiefs — An  Amusing 
Show — How  Shinte  Proved  his  Love — The  Magic  Ox — African  Etiquette — Among 
The  Angolas — Wonderful  Insects — Fatal  Superstitions — Dread  of  White  Men — Nar- 
row Escape  from  a  Buffalo — Capsized  by  a  Hippopotamus — Victoria  Falls — Curious 
Friendship  among  Animals  and  Birds — The  Mother  Elephant  and  her  Calf — Tossed 
by  a  Buffalo — Superstition  respecting  Albinos — Settling  Disputes 307 — 331 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SECOND  EXPEDITION. 

CHAPTER  XVIII — Noble  Purposes  of  a  Great  Man— Laughing  Rats— Wild  Dogs — 
Hippopotamus  Attacked  by  Alligators — Death  of  Mrs.  Livingstone — Exploration  of 
the  Rovuma  River — A  Dreadful  Sight — Results  of  Livingstones  Second  Expe- 
dition  331— 343 

LIVINGSTONE'S  THIRD  JOURNEY. 

CHAPTER  XIX — Search  for  the  Nile's  Source — An  Important  Commission — Land- 
ing the  Animals — Fearful  Fight  with  a  Leopard — Strange  Customs — Horrible  Scenes 
— Carried  Off  by  a  Lion  and  a  Crocodile — The  Honey-Bird — Arrival  at  LakeTangan- 
ika — Marriage  a  la  Africa — Village  of  Casembe — African  Pomp  and  Splendor — A 
Chief  who  Crops  the  Ears  and  Hands  of  his  Subjects — The  Troglodytes ....  343 — 363 

CHAPTER  XX. — Punishment  for  Unfaithfulness— A  Grave  by  the  Wayside— Discov- 
ery of  Lake  Bangweolo — In  Trouble — Killing  Prisoners — Arrival  at  Ujiji — A  Journey 
into  the  Manyuema  Country — Among  the  Tree  Dwellers  and  Cannibals — A  Singing 
Frog  and  Milk  Giving  Fish — A  Soko  Hunt — Description  of  the  Soko  and  its  Habits 
—A  Marvellously  Ignorant  People ,.,,.,  ,,...,,,. ....  364 — 382 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  5 

CHAPTER  XXI. — Description  of  the  People— A  Dreadful  Massacre — Cannibals 
Caught  in  the  Act — Meeting  with  Stanley — Explorations  with  Stanley — Taking  Leave 
of  Stanley — Domestic  Life  in  Africa — A  Terrible  March — Painful  Illness — The  End 
Comes — Dead  in  am  Attitude  of  Prayer — African  Honors  to  the  Noble  Dead — Em- 
balming the  Body — Enroute  for  Zanzibar — Buried  at  Westminister  Abbey . .  382 — 400 

STANLEY'S  TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA. 

CHAPTER  XXII. — In  Search  of  Livingstone — An  Astounding  Order — Organizing  for 
the  Journey — Enroute  for  the  Interior — Death  of  Stanley's  Horses — Calamities  begin 
— The  Belles  of  Kisemo — Tidings  of  Livingstone — A  Wonderful  City — The  Sul- 
tana's Revenge — A  Terrible  March — A  F.ght — A  Handsome  People — Entering 
Ugogo — A  Curious  Incident — In  a  Mob — Arrival  at  Unyanyembe 401 — 419 

CHAPTER  XXIIL— Ethnographical  Features— The  More  Remarkable  Tribes  of 
Africa — The  Wonderful  Wagogo  People — Their  Superstitions  and  Fighting  Propen- 
sities— The  Wahimbu  Agriculturists — Singular  Punishment  for  Murder — Treatment 
of  Witches — An  African  Napoleon 420 — 426 

CHAPTER  XXIV.— A  Sore  March— Death  of  Shaw— Surprised  at  the  Sight  of  a 
White  Man — Taking  "  Dowa  " — A  Hunter's  Paradise — Narrow  Escape  from  a 
Crocodile — A  Donkey  Seized  by  a  Leopard — The  Monkeys  and  the  Wild  Boar — 
News  from  Livingstone — Meeting  with  Livingstone — Joint  Exploration  of  Tangan- 
ika  Lake — Off  for  Unyanyembe — Adventure  with  an  Elephant — The  Separation — 
The  Pomp  and  Circumstance  of  War — Tough  Traveling — English  Jealousy — Return 
to  England ....  426 — 445 

STANLEY'S  SECOND  EXPEDITION. 

CHAPTER  XXV.— Promptings  Which  Led  to  His  Second  Journey— The  Herald 
and  London  Telegraph — Departure  for  the  Interior — Death  of  Edward  Pocock — 
On  the  Victoria  Nyanza — Encounter  with  Wild  Natives — An  Appearance  of  Amia- 
bility— Surprising  Belligerent  Natives — King  Mtesa's  Invitation  to  Stanley — Mtesa 
Welcomes  Stanley — Human  Sacrifices — A  Liberal  Giver — A  Grand  Review — Stan- 
ley's Impressions  of  the  King — Converts  Him  to  Christianity — A  Sham  Naval  Battle 
— Resumption  of  the  Lake  Voyage — Attacked  by  the  Savages  of  the  Lake — Death 
of  Fred  Barker 446 — 461 

CHAPTER  XXVI. — Lukongeh,  the  King— Some  wonderful  Superstitions— Curious 
Modes  of  Salution — A  Wonderful  Crocodile — A  Fierce  Battle — War  in  Africa — A 
Great  Naval  Battle — A  Fantastic  Priest — Stanley's  War-Boat — Some  Native  Stories — 
Mirambo,  the  Bandit  King 461 — 47$ 

CHAPTER  XXVII.— Circumnavigating  Tanganike  Lake— The  Wabembe  Cannibals 
— Kind  Treatment  at  a  Cannibal  Village — Savage  Dwarfs  and  Ferocious  Cannibals — 
A  Terrible  Story — Marching  Upon  the  Cannibals — A  Villiage  of  Skulls — Human 
Meat — A  Dwarf  Captured — Cannibals  Again — A  Hospitable  King — Into  the  Un- 
known— Fierce  Battles  on  Livingstone  River — The  Terrible  "  Bo-Bos  " — Boy  and 
Woman  Attacked  by  a  Python — Drowning  of  Kalulu — A  Fine  old  King — Awful 
Death  of  Frank  Pocock — Threatened  With  Starvation — Saved  in  Time — Return  to 
Zanzibar — Home  Receptions 476—511 


6  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ADVENTURES  OF  PAUL  B.  DuCHAILLU. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII.— DuChaillu,  the  Hunter  and  Naturalist— In  the  Haunts  of  Go- 
rillas and  Serpents — Stories  about  Gorillas — On  the  Plunt — Shooting  his  First  Gorilla 
— Horrible  Aspect  of  the  Gorilla — A  Visit  among  the  Fan  Cannibals — Shocking 
Sights — Graveyard  Ghouls — The  Fan  Iron  Workers 51 1. — 520 

CHAPTER  XXIX. — Adventure  with  an  Enormous  Serpent — Adventure  with  a 
Leopard — A  Curious  Superstition — Tossed  by  a  Buffalo — Visit  to  King  Bango — Cap- 
ture of  a  Young  Gorilla — Its  Ferocious  Disposition — Hunting  the  Nest-Building  Ape 
— Curious  Creatures — Fight  between  a  Leopard  and  Crocodile — A  Witch  Doctor — A 
Gorilla  Hunt— Killed  by  a  Gorilla— Habits  of  the  Gorilla— The  Gorilla  Dance — A 
Cannibal  Queen — Carnivorous  Ants — Elephants  Fleeing  Before  them — Executions 
for  Witchcraft — Horrible  Sights — A  Leopard  seizes  a  Buffalo — A  Nation  of  Dwarfs — 
The  Great  King  Munza — Adventure  with  a  Boa  Constrictor 520 — 561 


THE  POLAR  REGIONS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. — Summary  of  Polar  Expeditions— John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  the 
First  to  Make  a  Voyage  toward  the  Pole — Important  Discoveries — Wonderful  Ruins 
in  Greenland — Icelandic  Civilization — The  Sir  John  Franklin  Expedition — Voyages 
Undertaken  for  his  Relief — Dr.  Hayes  and  Dr.  Kane — Shipwreck  and  Death — Dis- 
astrous Voyage  of  the  "  Jeannette  " — Fate  of  DeLong — Schwatka's  Search  Party — 
Fate  of  the  Franklin  Party  finally  Determined 563 — $&I 

THE   GREELY  EXPEDITION. 

CHAPTER  XXXI.— Purposes  of  the  Greely  Expedition— Names  of  the  Members — 
Sketch  of  Greely — The  Departure — The  Highest  Point  Ever  Reached — Lockwood's 
Achievement — A  Wonderful  Sight — Discovery  of  Lake  Hazen — Discipline  in  Camp — 
Ruins  of  an  Ancient  Village 582 — 595 

CHAPTER  XXXII.— The  Return  From  Fort  Conger— Indescribable  Sufferings— Poor 
Jo  Elison — Feet  and  Fingers  Frozen  off — Execution  of  Private  Henry — Charity  for 
the  Starving — A  Lecture — Official  Report  of  Henry's  Execution — Death  by  Starva- 
tion— Resort  to  Cannibalism — Pangs  of  Hunger  Stop  the  Sense  of  Reason — The 
Cloak  of  Charity 595—608 

CHAPTER  XXXIII.— Efforts  to  Relieve  Greely— Voyage  of  the  Neptune—  Failure- 
Voyage  of  the  Proteus  and  Yantic — Sinking  of  the  Proteus — Expedition  of  the  Bear, 
Thetis,  and  Alert — Discovery  of  the  Greely  Party — A  Joyful  Meeting — Saved  by  the 
Grace  of  God — "For  God's  Sake,  Let  Me  Die  in  Peace" — The  Dead — Shocking 
Sights — Arrival  at  St.  Johns — How  the  Bodies  Were  Prepared — England  Excited 
Over  the  Rescue — Welcoming  the  Heroes  Home — Meeting  of  Greely  with  His 
Wife — Reports  of  Cannibalism  Proven — Exhumation  of  Lieut.  Kislingbury — Awful 
RevelaV  ns — What  Might  Have  Been — Earning  Honors 608 — 6f~ 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS.  7 

WONDERS   OF  THE  ARCTIC   WORLD 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. — Mystery,  Fable  and  Marvellous  Facts— Stories  of  the  Arctic 
Siren  and  Phantom  Ship — Symmes'  Theory  of  a  Hollow  Earth — Some  Novel  Facts — 
Proofs  of  an  Open  Polar  Sea — Change  of  Climate  through  Ice  Formations — Green- 
land once  the  Seat  of  a  Great  Empire — History  of  the  Famous  Symmes  Theory — 
Tropical  Animals  found  in  the  Arctic  Regions — The  Frozen  Elephant — Esquimau 
Dogs — Their  Habits  and  Manner  of  Training — Interesting  Facts  about  Them — Ef- 
fects of  an  Arctic  Night — Newfoundland  Dogs — Life  and  Habits  of  the  Esquimaux — 
Obedience  of  Children — Absence  of  Law — Marriages — Murder  of  Female  Children 
— Polgamy — Exchange  and  Borrowing  of  Wives — Manner  of  Dress — Flow  their 
Huts  are  Made — Life  in  an  Igloo — Queer  Ways  of  Eating — Making  Fire.  ..632 — 651 

CHAPTER  XXXV.— Seal  Hunting— Habits  of  the  Seal— How  it  is  Captured  by  Es- 
quimaux— Perils — Capt  Hall's  Battle  with  a  Seal — Hunting  the  Polar  Bear — Peculiar 
Methods  employed  by  Natives  to  Kill  it — A  Savage  Contest — A  Bear  raids  Dr.  Kane's 
Vessel — Tossing  the  Dogs — Another  Battle  with  a  Bear — An  Ugly  Visitor  in  Camp — 
Habits  of  the  Polar  Bear — Adventures  with  the  Walrus — An  Exciting  Walrus  Hunt — 
Battle  between  Walrus  and  Bears — A  Dreadful  Struggle — The  Reindeer — Its  useful 
Habits  and  Enemies — The  Musk  Ox — Arctic  Foxes — Mosquitoes  and  Gnats — Arctic 
Birds — The  Great  Sea  Eagle — Voracious  Gulls 651  — 684 

CHAPTER  XXXVI.— Inhabitants  of  the  Arctic  Deep— Teeming  with  Life— Wonders 
of  the  Whale — The  Most  Marvellous  of  All  Animals — How  It  Nurses  Its  Young — Its 
Habits  Generally — Adventure  with  a  Whale — The  Norwhal — Its  Wonderful  Tusk — 
The  Dolphin — How  It  is  Killed  by  Greenlanders — Arctic  Sharks — The  Grampus,  the 
Tiger  of  the  Arctic  Seas 684 — 692 

CHAPTER  XXXVII.— Natural  Phenomena  of  the  Arctic  Regions— Marvellous  Beau- 
ties of  Nature — The  Aurora — Its  Cause — Wonderful  Aurora  seen  by  Capt.  Hall — 
Mock  Moons — Colored  Snow — Icebergs  and  Wonderful  Ice-Formations — Tussle  of 
the  Giants — How  Icebergs  are  Formed — Kane's  Narrow  Escape — Wonderful  Adven- 
tures on  Icefloes — Perilous  Position  of  Dr.  Kane — Tyson's  Marvellous  Drift — Threat- 
ened Cannibalism — At  Sea  on  a  Cake  of  Ice — Battle  with  a  Bear — The  Most  Extra- 
ordinary Adventure  ever  Recorded — Night  in  the  Arctic  Regions — Five  Months  of 
Darkness — Its  effects  on  Man  and  Domestic  Animals 692 — 721 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII.— Incidents  of  Arctic  Life— Schwatka  and  the  Old  Exquimau 
Woman — Esquimau  Ice  Cream — Dr.  Hayes'  Singular  Experience  with  the  Esquimaux 
— Attacked  by  Dogs — A  Dashing  Esquimau  Widow — A  Wonderful  Feast — Esqui- 
mau Legend  of  the  Sun  and  Moon 721 — 738 

CHAPTER  XXXIX.— The  McClintock  Search— A  Ghastly  Discovery— Capt.  Hall's 
Wonderful  Discoveries — Esquimau  Children  Hanging  their  Parents — The  "Jean- 
nette"  Expedition — Two  Years'  Drift  in  the  Ice — Sinking  of  the  Ship — Helpless  on 
the  Wide  Sea — Separation  of  the  Boats — Terrible  Suffering  and  Starvation — Marvel- 
lous Heroism — Search  for  and  Discovery  of  the  Bodies  of  the  Dead — Honors  to  the 
Brave 738—768 


8 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD  S  WONDERS. 


THE  MALAY  ARCHIPELAGO. 


INDESCRIBABLE    BEAUTIES. 

ALFRED  RUSSEL  WALLACE,  an  English  naturalist  of  great  repu- 
tation, has  added  to  the  sum  of  geographic  knowledge  a  vast 
amount  of  information  respecting  the  Malay  Archipelago,  in 
which  region  of  the  earth  he  made  a  protracted  tour  of  discovery, 
extending  over  eight  years.  This  archipelago  proper,  the  largest 
group  of  islands,  including  also  the  greatest  islands  in  size,  on 
the  globe,  comprises  the  Indo-Malay  islands,  the  Timour  group, 
the  Celebes  group,  the  Moluccas,  and  the  Papuan  group,  all 
lying  north  and  northwest  of  Australia,  between  that  continent 
and  the  countries  of  southeastern  Asia.  The  largest  of  these 
islands  are,  New'Guinea,  Borneo,  Summatra,  Java,  and  Celebes, 
in  the  order  named,  though  there  are  hundreds  of  islands  in  the 
several  groups.  This  extensive  archipelago  lies  under  or  near  the 
equator,  and  being  bathed  bj' the  tepid  water  of  the  great  tropical 
ocean,  the  region  enjoys  a  climate  more  uniformly  hot  and  moist 
than  any  other  portion  of  the  globe,  and  teems  with  natural  pro- 
ductions which  are  elsewhere  unknown.  In  some  respects  it  is 
the  most  wonderful  district  of  the  earth.  It  not  alone  teems  with 
animal  life,  as  Africa,  but  nowhere  else  does  nature  revel  in  such 
gorgeous  hues  and  enrapturing  beauty.  F^wers  bejewel  the 


10  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

prolific  soil,  not  only  in  lowly  beds  carpeting  the  earth,  but  also 
ascend  trailing  vines  and  gather  in  clusters  of  richest  coloring  to 


BEAUTIFUL  BIRDS  OF  PARADISE. 

the  trees.     Insects  flash  like  prismatic  fires  from  flower  to 
nower,  and  tree  to  tree,  their  iridescent  hues  reflecting  the  lam- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  11 

bent  sunlight  like  a  million  of  diamonds.  Here  alone  are  found 
the  birds  of  paradise,  those  gorgeous  plumaged  warblers  whose 
coats  seem  fresh  with  the  glory  of  heaven,  or  a  thousand  rain- 
bows. On  every  side  the  eye  is  charmed  with  scenes  of  nature 
more  delectable  than  a  shifting  kaleidoscope ;  in  short,  it  is  a 
region  of  pure  delight,  so  far  as  the  sight  can  measure  it,  but  yet 
not  wholly  free  from  lurking  dangers,  which  seem  to  be  added 
by  beneficent  design,  in  order  that  the  eye  might  not  weary  by 
gazing  always  on  the  beautiful. 

A   FLYING   FROG. 

OF  the  many  wonderful  things  which  Mr.  Wallace  describes  as 
having  seen  during  his  visits  to  the  several  islands,  one  of  the 

o  o  * 

most  remarkable  is  a  flying  frog,  which  he  found  in  Borneo. 
This  is  a  most  curious  reptile,  lives  among  the  trees,  and  in  its 
habits  is  not  wholly  unlike  our  common  flying  squirrel,  for  its 
food  is  very  similar  and  its  mode  of  flight  almost  identical.  The 
body  is  about  four  or  five  inches  long  and  of  a  deep  shimering 
green  color,  the  under  surface  and  the  inner  toes  yellow,  while 
the  webs  are  black  rayed  with  yellow.  The  webs  of  each  hind 
foot,  when  expanded,  cover  a  surface  of  four  square  inches,  the 
webs  of  all  feet  together  about  twelve  square  inches,  and  its  body 
is  capable  of  considerable  inflation.  It  literally  flies  with  its  feet, 
very  much  like  the  action  of  swimming. 

HUNTING   THE    ORANG-UTAN. 

MR.  WALLACE  spent  much  of  his  time  in  Borneo  hunting  the 
great  man  ape — Orang-Utan — specimens  of  which  he  was  anx- 
ious to  obtain  for  his  friend,  Charles  Darwin,  and  the  British 
Museum.  This  animal  is  found  in  great  numbers  in  some  parts 
of  Borneo,  but  to  enable  him  to  be  more  successful  in  the  hunt 
Mr.  Wallace  employed  some  Dyaks  (natives)  to  accompany  him, 
as  they  were  familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  animal. 

On  the  first  day's  hunt  two  medium -sized  orang-utans — which 
are  called  mias  by  the  natives — were  killed,  and  a  small  baby 
one  captured.  It  was  so  young  that,  as  a  substitute  for  milk, 
Wallace  fed  it  on  rice-water  and  sugar  ;  but  though  it  ate  heartily 


12 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


enough  and  seemed  very  tame,  it  did  not  grow  in  the  least,  and 
at  the  end  of  three  months  died. 

On  the  following  day  a  monster  male  was  met  with  in  a  deep 
jungle,  and  though  Wallace  repeatedly  wounded  it,  yet  so  tena- 
cious of  life  was  the  animal  that  it  did  not  succumb  until  both 
legs  were  broken,  one  hip  bone  and  the  root  of  the  spine  com- 
pletely shattered,  and  two  bullets  were  flattened  in  its  neck  and 
jaw.  This  monster  measured  four  feet  two  inches  in  height,  and 
the  spread  of  its  arms  was  seven  feet  three  inches. 

About  ten  days 
after  this,  some 
Dyaks  came  to 
tell  Wallace  that 
the  day  before  a 
mias  had  nearly 
killed  one  of  their 


companions.  A 
few  miles  down 
the  river  there 
was  aDyak  house, 
and  the  inhabi- 
tants saw  a  large 
orang  feeding  on 
the  young  shoots 
of  a  palm  by  the 
river-side.  On 
being  alarmed,  he  retreated  toward  the  jungle  which  was  close 
by,  and  a  number  of  men,  armed  with  spears  and  choppers,  ran 
out  to  intercept  him.  The  man  who  was  in  front  tried  to  run 
his  spear  through  the  animal's  body,  but  the  mias  seized  it  in  his 
hands,  and  in  an  instant  got  hold  of  the  man's  arm,  which  he 
seized  in  his  mouth,  making  his  teeth  meet  in  the  flesh  above  the 
elbow,  which  he  tore  and  lacerated  in  a  dreadful  manner.  Had 
not  the  others  been  close  behind  him,  the  man  would  have  been 
more  seriously  injured,  if  not  killed,  as  he  was  quite  powerless, 
but  they  soon  destroyed  the  creature  with  their  spears  and 


THE  BABY  MIAS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  13 

choppers.  The  man  remained  ill  for  a  long  time,  and  never 
fully  recovered  the  use  of  his  arm. 

The  Dyaks  all  declare  that  the  mias  is  never  attacked  by 
any  animal  in  the  forest,  with  two  rare  exceptions  ;  and  the 
accounts  received  of  these  are  so  curious  that  they  are  given  as 
related  by  Dyak  chiefs,  who  lived  all  their  lives  in  the  places 
where  the  animal  is  most  abundant.  "No  animal  is  strong 
enough  to  hurt  the  mias,"  said  one  of  the  chiefs,  "and  the 
only  creature  he  ever  fights  with  is  the  crocodile.  When  there  is 
no  fruit  in  the  jungle,  he  goes  to  seek  food  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  where  there  are  plenty  of  young  shoots  that  he  likes,  and 
fruits  that  grow  close  to  the  water.  Then  the  crocodile  some- 
times tries  to  seize  him,  but  the  mias  gets  upon  him  and  beats 
him  with  his  hands  and  feet,  and  tears  him  and  kills  him."  The 
chief  added  that  he  had  once  seen  such  a  fight,  and  that  he 
believed  the  mias  was  always  the  victor. 

Another  chief  relates  that  the  mias  has  no  enemies  ;  no  animals 
dare  attack  it  but  the  crocodile  and  the  python.  He  always  kills  the 
crocodile  by  main  strength,  standing  upon  it,  pulling  open  its 
jaws,  and  ripping  up  its  throat.  If  a  python  attacks  a  mias,  he 
seizes  it  with  his  hands,  and  then  bites  it,  and  soon  kills  it.  The 
mias  is  very  strong;  there  is  no  animal  in  the  jungle  so  strong 
as  he. 

THE    LOMBOCK    SUICIDES. 

IN  the  island  of  Lombock,  which  is  separated  from  Java  by  a 
narrow  strait,  there  is  a  singular  people  who  are  peculiar  in  their 
remarkable  disposition  to  commit  suicide  ;  yet  the  word  is  a  mis- 
nomer, for  they  do  not  kill  themselves,  but  invite  death  in  a  manner 
that  is  unaccountably  strange.  The  least  misfortune,  such  as  loss 
at  gaming,  inability  to  pay  debts,  insults,  sickness,  loss  of  friends, 
and  similar  annoyances  of  life,  often  provoke  them  to  "  run  a 
muck,"  as  they  call  it.  The  person  thus  troubled  seizes  a  sword 
or  spear  and  runs  through  the  village  killing  everbody  he  meets, 
making  no  distinction  between  friend  or  foe,  age  or  sex,  and 
continues  his  indiscriminate  slaughter  until  the  people  set  upon 
him  and  kill  him  in  self-defense.  There  is  some  superstitious 


14  THE  'WORLD'S  WONDERS; 


fear  which  restrains  them  from  committing  suicide,  and  another 
superstition  which  incites  them  to  murder  and  invite  their  OWK 
death  at  the  hands  of  the  community. 

Lombock  is  governed  by  a  Rajah,  who  has  established  some 
very  severe  laws,  as  well  as  queer  ones.     Theft  is  punished  with 


BATTLE  WITH  THE  MIAS. 

death,  without  regard  for  the  value  of  the  article  stolen.  A 
person  found  in  the  house  of  another  after  dark,  without  per- 
mission, may  be  killed  and  thrown  into  the  street.  The  men  are 
woefully  jealous,  and  this  feeling  is  a  fruitful  source  of  crime. 
A  wife  must  not  accept  a  cigar,  flower,  or  the  simplest  article 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  15 

from  a  gentleman  ;  should  she  be  detected  in  so  doing  her  life 
would  pay  the  penalty.  Infidelity  is  punished  by  tying  the 
woman  and  her  paramour  back  to  back  and  throwing  them  into 
the  sea,  where  they  are  quickly  devoured  by  crocodiles  which 
infest  the  shore. 

THE    PIG-DEER    OF    CELEBES. 

THE  wild  pig  seems  to  be  of  a  species  peculiar  to  the  island  of 
Celebes  ;  but  a  much  more  curious  animal  of  this  family  is  the 
Babirusa,  or  pig-deer,  so  named  by  the  Malays  from  its  long  and 
slender  legs,  and  curved  tusks  resembling  horns.  This  extraor- 
dinary creature  resembles  a  pig  in  general  appearance,  but  it  does 
not  root  with  its  snout,  as  it  feeds  on  fallen  fruits.  The  tusks 
of  the  lower  jaw  are  very  long  and  sharp,  but  the  upper  ones, 
instead  of  growing  downward,  in  the  usual  way,  are  completely 
reversed,  growing  upward,  out  of  bony  sockets,  through  the  skin 
on  each  side  of  the  snout,  curving  backward  to  near  the  eyes, 
and  in  old  animals  often  reaching  eight  or  ten  inches  in  length. 
It  is  difficult  to  understand  what  can  be  the  use  of  these  extraor- 
dinary horn-like  teeth.  Some  of  the  old  writers  supposed  that 
they  served  as  hooks,  by  which  the  creature  could  rest  its  head 
on  a  branch.  But  the  way  in  which  they  usually  diverge  just 
over  and  in  front  of  the  eyes  has  suggested  the  more  probable 
idea  that  they  serve  to  guard  these  organs  from  thorns  and  spines 
while  hunting  for  fallen  fruits  among  the  tangled  thickets  of  rat- 
tans and  other  spiny  plants.  Even  this,  however,  is  not  satisfac- 
tory, for  the  female,  who  must  seek  her  food  in  the  same  way, 
does  not  possess  them.  It  is  probable  that  these  tusks  were  once 
useful,  and  were  then  worn  down  as  fast  as  they  grew;  but 
changed  conditions  of  life  have  rendered  them  unnecessary,  and 
they  now  develop  into  a  montrous  form,  just  as  the  incisors  of 
the  beaver  or  rabbit  will  go  on  growing,  if  the  opposite  teeth  do 
not  wear  them  away. 

ADVENTURE    WITH    A   PYTHON. 

SNAKES,  though  not  particularly  numerous  in  the  Archipelago, 
are  wonderfully  sociable,  preferring  houses  to  trees  and  caves,  so 


16 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


that  it  is  not  an  unusual  thing  for  a  family  to  be  seriously  disturbed 
by  a  huge  boa,  which  has  stealthily  gained  entrance  to  the  dwell- 
ing. Wallace  met  with  one  of  these  unbidden  guests  while  on 
Amboyna  island,  which  he  describes  as  follows  : 

"  One  night,  about  nine  o'clock,  I  heard  a  curious  noise  and 
nestling  overhead,  as  if  some  animal  were  crawling  slowly  over 
the  thatch.  The  noise  soon  ceased,  and  I  thought  no  more  about 
it  and  went  to  bed  soon  afterward.  The  next  afternoon,  being 


SKULL   OF  THE    PIG- DEER. 


rather  tired  with  my  day's  work,  I  was  lying  on  the  couch  with 
a  book  in  my  hand,  when,  gazing  upward,  I  saw  a  large  mass  of 
something  overhead  which  I  had  not  noticed  before.  Looking 
more  carefully,  I  could  see  yellow  and  black  marks,  and  thought 
it  must  be  a  tortoise-shell  put  up  there  out  of  the  way,  between 
the  ridge-pole  and  the  roof.  Continuing  to  gaze,  it  suddenly 
resolved  itself  into  a  large  snake,  compactly  coiled  up  in  a  kind 
of  knot ;  and  I  could  detect  his  head  and  bright  eyes  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  folds.  The  noise  of  the  evening  before  was  now 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  17 

explained.  A  python  had  climbed  up  one  of  the  posts  of  the 
house,  and  had  made  his  way  under  the  thatch  within  a  yard  of 
my  head,  and  taken  up  a  comfortable  position  in  the  roof — and 
I  had  slept  soundly  all  night  directly  under  him. 

"  I  called  to  my  two  boys,  who  were  skinning  birds  below,  and 
said,  'Here's  a  big  snake  in  the  roof;'  but  as  soon  as  I  had  shown 
it  to  them  they  rushed  out  of  the  house  and  begged  me  to  come  out 
directly.  Finding  they  were  too  much  afraid  to  do  anything,  we 
called  some  of  the  laborers  in  the  plantation,  and  soon  had  half- 
a-dozen  men  in  consultation  outside.  One  of  these,  a  native  of 
Bouru,  where  there  are  a  great  many  snakes,  said  he  would  get  him 
out,  and  proceeded  to  work  in  a  business-like  manner.  He  made 
a  strong  noose  of  rattan,  and  with  a  long  pole  in  the  other  hand 
poked  at  the  snake,  which  then  began  slowly  to  uncoil  itself. 
He  then  managed  to  slip  the  noose  over  its  head,  and  getting  it 
well  on  to  the  body,  dragged  the  animal  down.  There  was  a 
great  scuffle  as  the  snake  coiled  round  the  chairs  and  posts  to 
resist  his  enemy,  but  at  length  the  man  caught  hold  of  its  tail, 
rushed  out  of  the  house  (running  so  quick  that  the  creature 
seemed  quite  confounded)  and  tried  to  strike  its  head  against  a 
tree.  He  missed,  however,  and  let  go,  and  the  snake  got  under 
a  dead  trunk  close  by.  It  was  again  poked  out,  and  again  the 
Bouru  man  caught  hold  of  its  tail,  and  running  away  quickly 
dashed  its  head  with  a  swing  against  a  tree,  and  it  was  then  easily 
killed  with  a  hatchet.  It  was  about  twelve  feet  long,  and  very 
thick,  capable  of  doing  much  mischief,  and  of  swallowing  a  dog 
or  a  child." 

MAKING    CAKES    OF   THE    SAGO    PALM. 

A  SINGULAR  tree  grows  in  the  island  of  Ceram,  called  the  sago 
palm,  the  trunk  of  which  provides  most  excellent  food  after  pass- 
ing through  a  process  of  beating  and  washing,  which  dissolves 
the  pith  from  the  trunk.  Water  is  then  poured  on  the  pith, 
which  is  kneaded  and  pressed  against  a  strainer  till  the  starch  is 
dissolved  and  has  passed  through,  when  the  fibrous  refuse  is 
thrown  away.  The  water,  charged  with  sago  starch,  passes  on 
to  a  trough,  with  a  depression  in  the  centre,  where  the  sediment 
2 


18 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


is  deposited,  the  surplus  water  trickling  off  by  a  shallow  outlet. 
The  sago  thus  gathered  is  taken  out  of  the  trough  and  dried  into 
cylinders  of  about  thirty  pounds  weight.  It  makes  excellent 
bread  and  delicious  cakes,  particularly  when  eaten  with  butter 
and  a  little  sugar. 

It  is  truly  an  extraordinary  sight  to  witness  a  whole  tree-trunk, 
perhaps  twenty  feet  long  and  four  or  five  in  circumference,  con- 
verted into  food  with  so  little  labor  and  preparation.  A  good- 


THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  PYTHON. 


sized  tree  will  produce  thirty  tomans  or  bundles  of  thirty  pounds 
each,  and  each  toman  will  make  sixty  cakes  of  three  to  the  pound. 
Two  of  these  cakes  are  as  much  as  a  man  can  eat  at  one  meal, 
and  five  are  considered  a  full  day's  allowance  ;  so  that  reckoning 
a  tree  to  produce  1800  cakes,  weighing  600  pounds,  it  will  supply 
a  man  with  food  for  a  whole  year.  The  labor  to  produce  this  is 
very  moderate.  Two  men  will  finish  a  tree  in  five  days,  and  two 
women  will  bake  the  whole  into  cakes  in  five  days  more  ;  but  the 
raw  sago  will  keep  very  well,  ancj  can  be  baked  as  wanted,  so 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  19 

that  we  may  estimate  that  in  ten  days  a  man  may  produce  food 
for  the  whole  year.  This  is  on  the  supposition  that  he  possesses 
sago  trees  of  his  own,  for  they  are  now  all  private  property.  If 
he  does  not  he  has  to  pay  about  two  dollars  for  one  ;  and  as  labor 
here  is  ten  cents  a  day,  the  total  cost  of  a  year's  food  for  one 
man  is  about  three  dollars.  The  effect  of  this  cheapness  of  food 
is  decidedly  prejudicial,  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  sago  country 
are  never  so  well  off  as  those  where  rice  is  cultivated.  Many  of 
these  people  have  neither  vegetables  nor  fruit,  but  live  almost 
entirely  on  sago  and  a  little  fish.  Having  few  occupations,  at 
home,  they  wander  about  on  petty  trading  or  fishing  expeditions 
to  the  neighboring  islands  ;  and  as  far  as  the  comforts  of  life  are 
concerned,  are  much  inferior  to  the  wild  Hill  Dyaks  of  Borneo, 
or  to  many  of  the  more  barbarous  tribes  of  the  Archipelago. 

THE   PAPUAX    PEOPLE. 

As  Wallace  extended  his  journey  eastward,  he  found  the  peo- 
ple in  feature  and  habit  greatly  changed,  and  that  the  birds  wore 
more  beautiful  plumage.  At  the  Abu  Islands,  near  New  Guinea, 
he  met  the  original  Papuans,  who  compose  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinct and  strongly  marked  races  of  the  earth.  They  are  intensely 
black,  but  with  this  exception  they  very  little  resemble  negroes, 
for  all  their  features,  except  the  nose,  which  is  aquiline  with  large 
nostrils,  greatly  resemble  the  Caucasian.  They  have  no  idea  of 
a  hereafter,  profess  no  kind  of  religion,  are  not  even  superstitious, 
have  no  laws,  and  yet  they  are  an  apparently  happy  and  con- 
tented people,  free  from  vice.  They  recognize  only  the  relation- 
ship which  commerce  gives,  and  therefore  the  importance  of  pre- 
serving peace  and  practicing  honesty.  Concerning  these  people, 
Mr.  "Wallace  writes : 

"Here,  as  among  most  savage  people  with  whom  I  have  dwelt, 
I  was  delighted  with  the  beauty  of  the  human  form — a  beauty  of 
which  stay-at-home  civilized  people  can  carcely  have  any  con- 
ception. What  are  the  finest  Grecian  statues  to  the  living,  mov- 
ing, breathing  men  I  saw  daily  around  me?  The  unrestrained 
grace  of  the  naked  savage  as  he  goes  about  his  daily  occupations, 
or  lounges  at  his  ease,  must  be  seen  to  be  understood ;  and  a 


20 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


youth  bending  his  bow  is  the  perfection  of  manly  beauty.  Tho 
women,  however,  except  in  extreme  youth,  are  by  no  means  so 
pleasant  to  look  at  as  the  men.  Their  strongly-marked  features 
are  very  unfeminine,  and  hard  work,  privations,  and  very  early 
marriages  soon  destroy  whatever  of  beauty  or  grace  they  may  for 
a  short  time  possess.  Their  toilet  is  very  simple,  but  also,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  very  coarse  and  disgusting.  It  consists  solely  of  a 
mat  of  plaited  strips  of  palm-leaves,  worn  tight  around  the  body, 
and  reaching  from  the  hips  to  the  knees.  It  seems  not  to  be 


MAKING   SAGO. 


changed  till  worn  out,  is  seldom  washed,  and  is  generally  very 
dirty.  This  is  the  universal  dress,  except  in  a  few  cases  where 
Malay  '  sarongs '  have  come  into  use.  Their  frizzly  hair  is  tied 
in  a  bunch  at  the  back  of  the  head.  They  delight  in  combing,  or 
rather  forking  it,  using  for  that  purpose  a  large  wooden  fork  with 
four  diverging  prongs,  which  answers  the  purpose  of  separating 
and  arranging  the  long,  tangled,  frizzly  mass  of  cranial  vegeta- 
tion much  better  than  any  comb  could  do.  The  only  ornaments 
of  the  women  are  earrings  and  necklaces,  which  they  arrange  in 
various  tasteful  ways." 

Speaking  of  the  remarkable  honesty  of  the  Papuans,  Mr.  Wai- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  21 

lace  says  :  "  Toward  the  end  of  September  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  for  me  to  leturn,  in  order  to  make  our  homeward  voy- 
age before  the  end  of  the  east  monsoon.  Most  of  the  men  who 
had  taken  payment  from  me  had  brought  the  birds  they  had 
agreed  for.  One  poor  fellow  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  not  to 
get  one,  and  he  very  honestly  brought  back  the  axe  he  had  re- 
ceived in  advance  ;  another  who  had  agreed  for  six,  brought  me 
the  fifth  two  days  before  I  was  to  start,  and  went  off  immediately 
to  the  forest  again  to  get  the  other.  He  did  not  return,  how- 
ever, and  we  loaded  our  boat,  and  were  just  on  the  point  of 
starting,  when  he  came  running  down  after  us  holding  up  a  bird, 
which  he  handed  to  me,  saying  with  great  satisfaction,  «  Now  I 
owe  you  nothing.'  These  were  remarkable  and  quite  unexpected 
instances  of  honesty  among  savages,  where  it  would  have  been 
very  easy  for  them  to  have  been  dishonest  without  fear  of  detec- 
tion or  punishment." 

MAN-EATING   TIGERS. 

THE  island  of  Java  is  more  thickly  populated  than  any  others 
of  the  Archipelago,  and  the  people  are  more  nearly  civilized, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  this  island  enjoys  a  large  trade  with  the 
Dutch  who  have  settled  along  the  coast  in  considerable  numbers. 
The  city  of  Batavia,  which  has  a  population  of  nearly  200,000, 
is  largely  composed  of  Europeans.  The  principal  large  animals 
of  Java  are  the  tiger,  tapir  and  a  small  species  of  rhinoceros, 
which  latter  frequently  visits  interior  villages  in  quest  of  food, 
but  it  rarely  shows  any  disposition  to  fight. 

The  tigers  of  Java  are  similar  to  those  of  India,  being  savage 
and  bold.  Many  persons  are  destroyed  by  them  annually. 
During  Wallace's  visit  to  the  island  he  entered  a  village  where  a 
man-eating  tiger  had  carried  off  a  boy  the  day  before.  Nearly 
the  entire  village  was  in  arms,  ready  to  pursue  the  savage  beast. 
The  natives,  armed  only  with  spears,  surrounded  a  dense  jungle, 
where  they  believed  the  animal  lay  concealed,  and  began  beating 
it  in  a  rather  reckless  manuer.  The  tiger  was  roused  at  length, 
and  finding  itself  surrounded,  made  a  savage  attack,  but  a  half- 
dozen  natives  received  it  on  their  spears  and  killed  it  without 
sustaining  any  injury  themselves. 


22 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


WONDERFULL    RUINS. 


NEAR  the  east  cost  of  Java  there  are  found  vast  ruins  of  an 
ancient  civilization,  such  as  elegantly  sculptured  figures,  forts, 
palaces,  baths,  aqueducts,  and  temples,  the  latter  having  been  at 
one  time  decorated  with  the  most  extravagantly  rich  and  delicate 
sculpture  work.  On  the  mountain  of  GunongPrau  are  the  ruip< 


NATIVE  MEN  OF  THE  MALAY  ARCHIPELAGO. 

of  a  magnificent  temple  covering  a  large  elevated  plateau.  To 
reach  this  temple  four  flights  of  steps  were  cut  in  the  solid  stone 
of  the  mountain  side,  each  flight  consisting  of  more  than  one 
thousand  steps.  These  gigantic  works  will  doubtless  forever 
remain  a  mystery ;  they  show  the  deteriorating  effects  of  time, 
and  rude  houses  of  bamboo  and  thatch  occupy  the  site  of  the 


THE   WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


23 


ancient  temple.    The  natives  regard  these  ruins  as  the  undoubted 
productions  of  giants  or  demons. 

NEW  GUINEA,  THE  UNEXPLORED. 

NEW  GUINEA  lies  immediately  north  of  Australia,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  Torres  strait,  which  is  only  ninety  miles  in 
width.  Since  Australia  is  classed  as  a  continent,  New  Guinea  is 
the  largest  island  in  the  world,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most 
interesting  regions  of  the  earth.  Yet,  with  all  this,  it  is  a  terra 
incognita,  no  explorer  having 
ever  penetrated  it  beyond  a 
distance  of  fifteen  miles  from 
the  coast.  That  it  has  a 
salubrious  climate  toward  the 
interior  is  attested  by  the 
lofty,  snow-capped  moun- 
tains which  may  be  seen  from 
the  sea,  and  the  numerous 
large  rivers  which  pour  their 
sparkling  waters  into  the 
ocean. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this 
great  island,  wiich  has  been 
known  since  the  year  1636, 
has  never  been  explored, 
though  small  Dutch  colonies 
have  existed  on  its  southern 
coast  for  nearly  one  hundred 
years.  Frequent  attempts  have  been  made  to  advance  into  the 
interior,  but  always  without  success,  owing  entirely  to  the  fact 
that  the  parties  were  not  properly  equipped  or  of  insufficient 
strength  to  give  them  confidence  to  proceed. 

The  Papuans,  who  occupy  New  Guinea,  are  uncivilized,  but 
they  are  much  in  advance  of  all  other  barbaric  tribes  in  many 
particulars.  They  live  in  houses  fairly  comfortable,  resting  on  a 
foundation  of  upright  posts  which  elevate  them  eight  or  ten 
feet  above  the  ground.  The  place  of  building  is  usually  over 


NATIVE  PAPUAN. 


24 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


streams  of  water,  and  the  flooring  is  made  of  bamboo  with  inter- 
stices left,  through  which  all  refuse  is  thrown,  so  that  using  the 
streams  to  carry  off  all  obnoxious  matter,  the  villages  are  always 
clean.  They  have  a  novel  instrument  for  measuring  time,  and 
are  the  only  savage  people  known  who  ever  devised  any  means 
for  this  purpose,  or  who  ever  conceived  the  idea  of  dividing  the 
days  into  hours.  The  primitive  clock  of  the  Papuans  consists 
of  the  half  of  a  cocoanut-shell,  through  the  bottom  of  which 

a  small  hole  is  made.  This 
shell  is  placed  in  a  basin  of 
water,  and  as  ft  receives  a 
delicate  jet  gradually  settles 
until  it  sinks  at  the  expira- 
tion of  one  hour,  causing  a 
bubbling  sound  which  attracts 
the  attention  of  any  one 
standing  near.  This  shell  is 
their  only  measure  of  time, 
but  it  suggests  the  idea  of  a 
clock,  from  which  a  more 
elaborate  time-piece  might 
be  made. 

Capt.  Paget,  who  visited 
the  island  in  1871,  declares 
that  he  found  many  of  the 
natives  wearing  anklets  and 
armlets  of  beaten  gold,  and 
that  he  saw  a  chief  who  bore 
a  club  made  of  the  same  precious  metal.  . iot  being  able  to 
converse  with  them,  they  misconstrued  his  gestures  and  fled  to 
the  hills,  where  it  was  considered  inexpedient  to  follow  them. 
This  incident  is  mentioned  as  furnishing  an  additional  incentive 
for  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  island,  which  will  no  doubt  b* 
made  at  an  early  date. 


A  DYAK  GIRL. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  TROPICAL  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOUTH   AMERICA. 

IN  describing  the  WORLD'S  WONDERS  as  seen  by  the  Great 
Explorers,  we  will  divide  our  subject  into  three  parts,  or  divi- 
sions, viz  :  The  Tropical ,  Arctic,  and  Antarctic,  so  as  to  preserve 
a  sequence,  and  have  system  in  the  narrative.  The  Tropical 
World  will  have  precedence,  in  consideration  of  its  more  prolific 
life,  both  animal  and  vegetable,  and  because  it  presents  more 
anomalous  and  curious  features  than  other  parts  of  the  globe. 
Indeed,  in  the  tropics  there  seems  to  be  a  superabundance  of 
growth,  which  led  Sir  Thomas  Buckle  to  declare  :  *'  Amid  this 
pomp  and  splendor  of  nature  no  place  is  left  for  man.  He  is 
reduced  to  insignificance  by  the  majesty  with  which  he  is 
surrounded.  The  forces  that  oppose  him  are  so  formidable  that 
he  has  never  been  able  to  make  headway  against  them,  never 
able  to  rally  against  their  accumulated  pressure.  The  whole  of 
Brazil,  notwithstanding  its  immense  apparent  advantages,  has 
always  remained  entirely  uncivilized  ;  its  inhabitants  wandering 
savages,  incompetent  to  resist  those  obstacles  which  the  very 
bounty  of  nature  had  put  in  their  way." 

In  the  tropics  we  have  two  directly  opposite  effects  of  the  sun, 
one  tending  toward  the  multiplication  of  life,  while  the  other 
operates  to  destroy  it.  In  no  other  part  of  the  globe  do  we  find 
great  deserts  like  that  of  Sahara,  or  such  pestilential  vapors  as 
continually  arise  from  »  wofuse  vegetation  which  is  as  rapid 


26  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

in  its  decomposition  as  in  its  growth  ;  in  no  other  zone  are  there 
such  destructive  earthquakes  and  storms,  nor  does  disease  stalk 
with  such  dreadful  fatality  in  any  other  division  of  the  earth. 
Another  characteristic  of  the  tropics  is  found  in  the  size  and 
ferociousness  of  its  wild  animals,  whether  beasts,  birds,  or  rep- 
tiles, which  find  their  homes  either  in  the  deep  jungles  or  on  the 
craggy  peaks  of  great  mountains,  where  the  most  intrepid  hunter 
cannot  pursue  them.  But  there  are  many  other  interesting 
features  found  in  the  tropical  zone  which  should  be  understood 
before  we  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  animal  life  found  within 
its  Km  its. 

The  lands  lying  within  the  tropics  comprise  a  portion  of 
Mexico,  all  of  Central  America,  and  nearly  all  of  South  America, 
Africa,  the  West  India  Islands,  Polynesia,  and  about  one-half  of 
Australia.  The  very  great  excess  of  water  over  land  within  the 
tropics  is  one  of  the  most  important  facts  in  physical  geography, 
for,  were  the  proportions  reversed,  there  would  be  a  like  reduc- 
tion of  growth  and  a  corresponding  amount  of  sterility  ;  without 
water  there  can  be  neither  vegetable  nor  animal  life.  All  the 
water  that  gushes  up  in  fountains  or  swells  into  brooks  and  rivers 
comes  from  the  ocean,  whence  it  is  raised  by  evaporation  and 
carried  along  unseen  channels  of  the  air  to  be  precipitated  in  the 
form  of  rain  or  snow,  sometimes  thousands  of  miles  distant  from 
ihe  place  whence  it  was  drawn  up.  This  water  when  first  evapo- 
rated has  the  salty  taste  of  the  ocean — or,  more  directly  speaking, 
te  strongly  impregnated  with  salt,  but  as  it  is  borne  upward  into 
clouds,  the  vapor  is  subjected  to  an  electrical  influence  not  clearly 
understood,  but  which  decomposes  the  salt  and  precipitates  the 
vapor  into  pure  water  ;  but  in  the  descent  it  absorbs  f  rotai  the  air 
a  small  quantity  of  carbonic  acid,  ammonia,  or  nitric  acid,  which 
imparts  to  rain-water  its  peculiar  taste.  All  water  that  is  evapo- 
rated and  ascends  into  the  clouds,  of  course  does  not  come  from 
the  ocean,  as  every  fresh  as  well  as  salt  body  of  water  contributes 
to  that  continual  ascent  and  descent  which  nourishes  the  earth 
and  the  fullness  thereof.  It  has  been  computed  by  some  patient 
calculator  that  200,000  cubic  miles  of  water  are  raised  each  year 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  27 

from  the  ocean,  in  the  form  of  vapor.  At  least  three-fourths  of 
this  immense  volume  is  raised  within  the  tropics,  and  a  great 
part  falls  beyond  them.  If  the  extent  of  the  tropical  ocean 
were  diminished  by  half,  there  is  no  part,  perhaps,  of  the  tem- 
perate zones  which  would  not  be  parched  by  excessive  drought, 
and  hardly  a  river  but  whose  bed  would  be  a  dry  ravine. 

The  water  which  fills  the  great  lakes  of  North  America  and, 
thundering  down  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  finds  its  way  through 
the  St.  Lawrence  River  into  the  ocean  almost  on  the  verge  of  the 
Polar  World,  only  a  few  weeks  before,  perhaps,  laved  the  coral 
reefs  of  the  tropical  seas. 

If  any  considerable  part  of  the  tropical  ocean  were  converted 
into  land,  the  heat  of  the  Torrid  Zone  would  become  so  greatly 
increased  that  no  animal  life,  such  as  now  exists,  could  endure 
it ;  and,  as  the  vegetation  of  a  climate  is  adapted  to  the  prevail- 
ing temperature,  the  trees  and  plants  which  now  flourish  would 
become  extinct.  Water,  in  being  converted  into  a  gaseous  form 
by  the  process  of  evaporation,  absorbs  heat  from  surrounding 
objects,  or,  as  we  may  say,  produces  cold.  Thus  the  burning 
rays  of  a  vertical  sun,  pouring  down  upon  the  ocean,  in  a  measure 
quenc/i  themselves.  The  same  rays,  which,  falling  upon  the 
ocean,  never  raise  the  water  beyond  a  grateful  temperature,  falling 
upon  the  land  produce  an  intolerable  heat. 

The  great  extent  of  the  tropical  seas  is  the  cause  of  those 
mighty  ocean  currents  which  sweep  from  the  equatorial  to  the 
polar  regions.  Cool  as  the  waters  of  the  tropics  are,  they  are 
warm  when  compared  with  the  other  parts  of  the  ocean.  The 
water  thus  heated  becomes  specifically  lighter  than  that  of  colder 
regions,  is  lifted  up,  and,  in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  gravitation, 
*'uns  off  in  both  directions  towards  the  poles.  There,  having 
become  cooled,  the  salt  waters  are  heavier  than  the  comparatively 
fresh  ones  of  the  polai  regions,  and  sinking  beneath  them,  return 
in  an  undercurrent  to  their  starting-place. 

This  great  equatorial  current,  or  rather  series  of  currents,  is 
the  marvel  of  physical  geography.  Let  us  follow  that  of  the 
Atlantic  in  its  long  career.  Starting  on  the  line  of  the  equator, 


28  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

it  flows  north-westwardly  along  the  coast  of  South  America, 
enters  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  whence 
it  derives  the  name  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  It  passes  out  through 
the  Straits  of  Bernini,  between  Florida  and  Cuba,  a  great  river 
32  miles  wide,  2,200  feet  deep,  flowing  at  the  rate  of  four  miles 
an  hour.  Its  volume  is  a  thousand  times  greater  than  that  of  the 
Amazon  or  the  Mississippi,  and  its  banks  of  cold  water  are  more 
clearly  defined  than  are  those  of  either  of  these  rivers  at  flood. 
So  clear  is  the  line  of  demarkation  between  the  warm  water  of 
the  river  and  its  cool  liquid  banks,  that  a  ship  sailing  along  may 
be  half  in  one  and  half  in  the  other ;  and  a  bucket  of  water 
dipped  from  one  side  will  be  twenty  degrees  cooler  than  one 
from  the  other.  Skirting  the  coast  at  a  distance  of  about  100 
miles,  its  width  is  increased  and  its  velocity  diminished.  Striking 
the  projecting  banks  of  Newfoundland,  its  course  is  deflected 
almost  due  east,  until  it  arrives  at  mid-ocean.  Here  it  spreads 
out  like  a  fan,  skirting  the  shores  of  Spain,  France  and  Great 
Britain.  It  then  divides,  one  branch  sweeping  around  the  west 
coast  of  Iceland,  the  other  approaching  the  shores  of  Norway, 
and  its  temporary  influence  is  perceptible  in  the  ameliorated 
climate  of  Spitzbergen. 

It  is  owing  to  this  great  ocean  river  that  the  temperature  of 
the  western  shores  of  Europe  is  so  much  higher  than  that  of  the 
eastern  shore  of  America  in  the  same  latitudes.  Maury  estimates 
that  the  amount  of  heat  which  the  Gulf  Stream  diffuses  over  the 
northern  Atlantic  in  a  winter's  day  is  sufficient  to  raise  the  whole 
atmosphere  which  covers  France  and  Great  Britain  from  the 
freezing  point  to  summer  heat.  The  olives  of  Spain,  the  vines 
of  France,  the  wheat-fields  of  England,  and  the  green  expanse  of 
the  Emerald  Isle,  are  the  gifts  of  the  tropical  seas,  dispensed 
through  the  Gulf  Stream. 

Near  the  Azores  another  branch  of  the  Gulf  Stream  encounters 
the  return  flow  from  the  Arctic  Ocean,  bends  around,  and 
skirting  tbe  coast  of  Africa,  returns  to  its  starting-place  in  the 
Gulf  of  Guinea,  leaving  in  its  great  bend  near  the  Azores  an 
expanse  of  almost  motionless  waters  larger  than  the  whole  of 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  29 

France.  This  is  known  as  the  Sargasso  Sea,  from  the  surface 
being  covered  with  a  sea-weed  called  the  Sargassum  natans.  So 
thick  is  the  covering  of  weeds  that  at  a  little  distance  it  seems 
solid  enough  to  walk  upon.  The  discovery  of  the  bodies  of 
strange  animals  and  unknown  trees  and  plants  flung  ashore  at 
the  Azores  suggested  to  Columbus  the  idea  that  there  was  land 
lying  beyond  the  western  ocean  ;  so  that  to  the  Gulf  Stream  we 
are  indebted  for  the  discovery  of  the  New  World.  Bottles  have 
been  thrown  overboard  at  various  points  in  the  Gulf  Stream, 
containing  the  date  and  position  of  the  ship.  Many  of  these 
have  been  picked  up.  From  these  it  appears  that  the  stream 
takes  eight  months  to  flow  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  shores 
of  Europe,  and  the  broader  and  slower  current  takes  a  year  to 
travel  from  the  Bay  of  Biscay  back  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Gulf  Stream,  though  the  best  known,  and  in  many 
respects  the  most  remarkable  of  the  great  equatorial  currents,  is 
by  no  means  the  largest.  The  great  current  of  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  Oceans  may  be  regarded  as  one  mighty  stream  flowing 
from  east  to  west.  It  crosses  the  Pacific  in  a  sheet;  neariy  3,500 
miles  broad,  spreading  over  almost  half  the  distance  from  pole 
to  pole  ;  another  great  current  originates  in  the  Indian  Ocean, 
flows  ?.nto  the  China  Sea  through  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  thence 
into  the  North  Pacific,  between  the  coast  of  Asia  and  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  thence  crosses  the  ocean  by  the  north-westward, 
modifying  the  climate  of  the  Pacific  coast  and  Alaska.  It  is 
stated  by  Lieutenant  Schwatka,  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  who  explored 
the  Yukon  Eiver  in  1883,  that  the  Aleutian  Islands  have  a  climate 
the  mean  temperature  of  which  is  60°,  and  that  this  spring 
warmth  is  almost  perpetual,  there  being  only  the  slightest 
difference  between  the  extreme  seasons.  This  statement,  how- 
ever, I  have  found  no  where  corroborated,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
openly  disputed  by  the  seal  and  whale  fishers  of  Behrings  Strait, 
who  frequently  go  ashore  on  the  Aleutian  Isles.  However, 
Schwatka  may  have  referred  to  some  particular  island  of  the 
group  that  was  specially  sheltered,  or  perhaps  abnormally  heated 
by  volcanic  influence. 


30  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

All  the  water  poured  by  the  trade  currents  from  the  tropical 
ocean,  and  all  raised  from  it  by  evaporation  and  transported 
through  aerial  channels  to  feed  the  rivers  of  the  temperate  and 
polar  regions,  must  find  its  way  back  by  counter  currents.  Heat , 
according  to  the  dictum  of  modern  Science,  may  be  reduced  to 
force.  The  force  of  the  sun's  rays  poured  upon  the  tropical 
ocean  is  sufficient  to  raise  thousands  of  yards  into  the  air  five 
hundred  cubic  miles  of  water  every  day,  and  to  put  and  keep  in 
motion  the  mighty  currents  which  sweep  back  and  forth  from  the 
equator  to  the  poles.  The  study  of  the  course,  direction  and 
elevation  of  these  currents  has  as  yet  only  begun.  We  know 
that  sometimes,  as  on  the  coast  of  America,  the  currents  of  cold 
and  warm  water  run  side  by  side  in  opposite  directions  ;  sometimes 
a  warm  current  is  on  the  surface  and  sometimes  below  it.  In  the 
Gulf  Stream  the  warm  current  is  above,  the  cold  below  ;  while 
on  the  coast  of  Japan  a  cold  current  from  the  Okotsk  Sea  runs 
on  the  surface,  giving  rise  to  a  fishery  not  inferior  in  magnitude 
to  that  caused  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  by  the  cold  cur- 
rents from  Baflins  Bay.  Enough,  however,  is  now  known  of 
ocean  currents  to  warrant  the  assumption  that  they  are  mainly 
governed  by  the  great  law  of  gravitation.  The  lighter  water 
flows  on  the  surface,  the  heavier  underneath.  But  the  specific 
gravity  of  ocean  water  depends  upon  two  things,  the  temperature 
and  amount  of  salt  contained.  The  heated  water  of  the  tropics 
is  rendered  lighter  than  that  which  surrounds  it  of  the  same 
saltness  and  so  floats  on  the  surface  ;  but  the  cold  currents  from 
the  poles  are  less  saline,  and  consequently  lighter  than  the 
tropical  waters  of  the  same  temperature.  When  these  two 
opposing  currents  meet  there  is  a  struggle  ;  but  at  length  the  one 
which  is  specifically  heavier  sinks,  while  the  lighter  rises.  So 
facile  is  the  movement  of  fluids  among  each  other,  that  a 
difference  in  gravity  which  we  can  scarcely  detect  with  our  nicest 
instruments  may  be  abundantly  sufficient  to  decide  which  of  two 
opposing  currents  shall  run  above  and  which  below. 

The  air  has  currents  as  well  as  the  ocean,  and  these  have 
very  much  to  (Jo  in  modifying  the  climate  of  the  tropical 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  31 

world.  Karified  by  the  intense  heat  of  a  vertical  sun,  the  air 
within  the  tropics  rises  in  perpendicular  columns  high  above  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  and  thence  flows  off  toward  the  poles  ; 
while,  to  fill  up  the  void,  cold  air  currents  come  rushing  in  from 
the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  regions  ;  but  the  rotation  of  the  earth 
gradually  diverts  the  direction  of  these  cold  currents,  and  changes 
them  into  trade-winds,  which  regularly  blow  over  the  greater 
portion  of  the  tropical  ocean  from  east  to  west,  and  materially 
contribute  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  navigator  whom  they 
waft  over  the  equatorial  waters.  The  trade-wind  is  an  air  current 
of  even  greater  importance  than  the  water  current  known  as  the 
Gulf  Stream.  This  wind  covers  no  less  than  56°  of  latitude — 
28°  north  and  28°  south  of  the  equator.  In  this  large  tract, 
which  comprises  many  of  the  most  fertile  countries  on  the  globe, 
the  trade-wind  blows  during  the  whole  year,  either  from  the 
north-east  or  from  the  south-east.  The  causes  of  this  regularity 
are  now  well  understood,  and  are  known  to  depend  partly  on  the 
displacement  of  air  at  the  equator,  and  partly  on  the  motion  of 
the  earth  ;  for  the  cold  air  from  the  poles  is  constantly  flowing 
toward  the  equator  and  thus  producing  northerly  winds  in  the 
northern  hemisphere,  and  southerly  winds  in  the  southern. 

The  trade-wind,  blowing  on  the  eastern  coast  of  South  America, 
and  proceeding  from  the  east,  crosses  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
therefore  reaches  the  land  surcharged  with  the  vapors  accumu- 
lated in  its  passage.  The  vapors,  on  touching  the  shore,  are,  at  ? 
periodical  intervals,  condensed  into  rain  ;  and  as  their  progress 
westward  is  checked  by  that  gigantic  mountain  chain,  the  Andes, 
which  they  are  unable  to  pass,  they  pour  the  whole  of  their 
moisture  on  Brazil,  which,  in  consequence,  is  often  deluged  by 
the  most  destructive  torrents.  This  abundant  supply,  being 
aided  by  that  vast  river  system  peculiar  to  the  eastern  part  of 
South  America,  and  being  also  accompanied  by  heat,  has  stimu- 
lated the  soil  into  an  activity  unequaled  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  Brazil,  which  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  whole  of  Europe, 
is  covered  with  a  vegetation  of  incredible  profusion.  A  great 
part  of  this  immense  country  is  filled  with  dense  and  tangled 


32 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDEItS. 


forests,  whose  noble  trees,  blossoming  in  unrivaled  beauty,  and 
exquisite  with   a   thousand   hues,  throw  out  their  products   in 


endless   prodigality.      On  their  branches  are  perched   birds  of 
gorgeous  plumage ;   below,  their  base  and  trunks  are  crowded 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  33 

with  brushwood,  creeping  plants,  innumerable  parasites,  all 
swprming  with  life.  There,  too,  are  myriads  of  insects  of  every 
variety ;  reptiles  of  strange  and  singular  forms  ;  serpents  and 
lizards,  spotted  with  deadly  beauty  ;  all  of  which  find  means  of 
existence  in  this  vast  workshop  and  repository  of  nature.  Dr. 
Gardener,  who  looked  at  these  things  with  the  eye  of  a  botanist, 
says  that  near  Rio  Janeiro  the  heat  and  moisture  are  sufficient  to 
compensate  even  the  poorest  soil;  so  that  "rocks,  on  which 
scarcely  a  trace  of  earth  is  to  be  observed,  are  covered  with  a 
profuse  vegetation,  all  in  the  vigor  of  life."  That  nothing  may 
be  wanting  in  this  land  of  marvels,  the  forests  are  skirted  b}' 
enormous  meadows  which,  reeking  with  heat  and  moisture, 
supply  countless  herds  of  wild  cattle,  that  browse  and  fatten  on 
their  herbage  ;  while  the  adjoining  plains,  rich  in  another  form 
of  life,  are  the  chosen  abode  of  the  subtlest  and  most  ferocious 
animals,  which  prey  upon  each  other,  but  which  it  might  almost 
seem  no  human  power  can  hope  to  extirpate.  Mr.  Darwin,  the 
eminent  naturalist,  says,  "In  England,  any  person  fond  of 
natural  history  enjoys  in  his  walks  a  great  advantage,  by  always 
having  something  to  attract  his  attention  ;  but  in  these  fertile 
climates,  teeming  with  life,  the  attractions  are  so  numerous  that 
he  is  scarcely  able  to  walk  at  all." 

We  have  spoken  of  the  trade-winds  as  extending  over  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  Tropical  World.  But  to  this  there  is  a 
notable  exception.  Near  the  equator,  but  a  little  to  the  north  of 
it,  the  two  currents  from  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  regions 
meet  and  neutralize  each  other,  producing  a  belt  of  calms,  which 
sailors  call  the  "Doldrums,"  of  about  six  degrees  in  breadth. 
Here  it  rains  almost  every  day  during  the  year,  for  the  ascending 
currents  of  heated  air  loaded  with  moisture  become  suddenly 
cooled  in  the  higher  regions,  and  are  forced  to  give  up  the  water 
which  they  have  lifted  from  the  ocean.  Toward  noon  dense 
clouds  form  in  the  sky  and  dissolve  in  torrents  of  rain.  Toward 
evening  the  vapors  disperse,  and  the  sun  sets  in  a  cloudless 
horizon.  The  quantity  of  rain  which  here  falls  during  the 
year  is  enormous.  In  the  United  States  the  annual  rainfall  is 
3 


34  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

from  25  to  70  inches ;  in  Europe  from  15  to  104 ;  in  the 
Atlantic  doldrums  it  reaches  225.  So  copious  is  the  rainfall  at 
times  that  fresh  water  has  been  dipped  up  from  the  surface  of 
the  tropical  seas. 

Proceeding  north  or  south  from  the  belt  of  calms,  we  come  to 
a  region  characterized  by  two  rainy  and  two  dry  seasons.  The 
rainy  seasons  take  place  while  the  sun  is  passing  the  zenith, 
more  or  less  neutralizing  the  influence  of  the  trade-winds.  In 
Jamaica,  for  example,  the  first  rainy  season  begins  in  April,  the 
second  in  October ;  the  first  dry  season  in  June,  the  second  in 
December.  Toward  the  verge  of  the  tropics  follow  the  zones 
characterized  by  a  single  rainy  and  a  single  dry  season  ;  the  rains 
lasting  from  the  vernal  to  the  autumnal  equinox. 

The  two  rainy  seasons  which  characterize  the  middle  zone 
between  each  tropic  and  the  equator  have  a  tendency  to  merge 
into  one  rainy  season  of  six  months'  duration  on  advancing 
toward  the  tropics,  and  into  a  perpetual  rainy  season  on 
approaching  the  equator.  As  the  sun  goes  north  or  south  he 
opens  the  flood-gates  of  the  heavens,  and  closes  them  behind 
him  as  he  passes  to  the  other  hemisphere,  while  he  keeps  them 
continually  open  where  he  is  always  vertical.  But  this  general 
state  of  things,  which  would  be  the  normal  condition  of  the 
tropical  regions  if  their  surface  was  an  unbroken  sheet  of  water, 
and  no  disturbing  forces  existed,  is  liable  to  great  modifications. 
Thus  in  the  monsoon  region,  extending  from  the  eastern  coast  of 
Africa  to  the  northern  part  of  Australia,  and  from  the  tropic  of 
Capricorn  to  the  Himalayas  and  China,  it  is  not  the  sun  directly, 
but  the  winds  that  regulate  the  periodical  rains.  Thus  in  India 
and  the  Malayan  peninsula  the  western  coasts  are  watered  during 
the  southwest  monsoon,  which  prevails  from  Aprfi  to  October ; 
and  the  eastern  coasts  during  the  northeast  monsoon,  from 
October  to  April.  For  example,  the  southwest  wind  condenses 
its  vapor  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ghauts,  the  northeast  on 
the  eastern  ;  so  that  violent  rains  fall  daily  on  the  coast  of  Coro- 
mandel,  while  it  is  the  reverse  on  that  of  Malabar,  and  vice 
versa.  In  the  southern  hemisphere  the  rainy  season  corresponds. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  35 

with  the  northern  monsoon,  the  dry  season  with  the  south- 
eastern. In  South  Africa  and  Australia  winter  is  the  rainy 
season.  In  South  America,  in  the  same  latitudes,  summer 
is  the  rainy  season  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cordilleras,  and 
winter  on  the  western  side. 

TORNADOES    AND    HURRICANES 

rage  in  the  tropical  world  with  a  frequency,  extent  and  violence 
unknown  in  other  climes.  They  sometimes  move  with  a  direct 
velocity  of  forty-five  miles  per  hour;  but  the  violence  and 
destructiveness  of  a  whirlwind  depends  less  upon  the  velocity 
with  which  the  whole  storm  moves  than  upon  the  speed  with 
which  the  wind  whirls  around  and  in  upon  the  centre.  The 
great  Bahama  hurricane  of  1866  moved  forward  at  the  rate  of 
thirty  miles  per  hour ;  but  the  velocity  of  its  whirling  motion 
was  from  80  to  100,  and  for  short  intervals  from  100  to  120 
miles  an  hour.  The  diameter  of  the  great  storms  of  the  trop- 
ical Atlantic  is  often  from  600  to  1,000  miles;  those  of 
the  Indian  Ocean  1,000  to  1,500.  These,  however,  move  but 
slowly.  The  smaller  storms  are  usually  more  rapid  than  the 
larger  ones. 

The  revolving  motion  accounts  for  the  sudden  and  violent 
changes  observed  during  hurricanes.  In  consequence  of  this 
rotation  the  wind  blows  in  opposite  directions  on  each  side  of 
the  axis  of  the  storm ;  the  violence  increases  from  the  circum- 
ference inward  ;  but  at  the  centre  the  air  is  in  repose.  Hence, 
when  the  body  of  a  storm  passes  over  a  place,  the  wind  begins 
to  blow  moderately,  and  increases  to  a  hurricane  as  the  centre  of 
the  whirlwind  approaches  ;  then,  in  a  moment,  a  dead  calm  suc- 
ceeds, followed  suddenly  by  a  renewal  of  the  storm  in  all  its 
violence,  but  now  blowing  in  a  direction  opposite  to  which  it  had 
before.  From  this  rotary  motion  it  follows  that  the  direction  of 
the  wind  at  any  moment  is  no  indication  of  the  direction  which 
the  body  of  the  storm  is  pursuing. 

Water-spouts  and  cyclones  belong  to  the  same  class  of  phe- 
nomena as  whirlwinds  and  hurricanes.  In  fact,  water-spouts  are 
but  whirlwinds  at  sea,  while  the  term  cyclone  is  used  to  distin- 


36  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

guish  the  most  violent  hurricanes  or  tornadoes.  Whirlwinds 
maybe  formed  by  the  rapid  rotary  movement  of  either  ascending 
or  descending  currents  of  air ;  when  the  former  occurs  over  a 
body  of  water  not  infrequently  water-spouts  are  the  result,  and 


A  STEAMSHIP  ENCOUNTERING  A  WATER-SPOUT  AT  SEA. 

at  times  so  violent  are  these  that  at  their  base  they  have  power 
to  wreck  a  small  boat,  and  to  lift  an  immense  column  of  water 
which  is  drawn  upward  with  a  noise  like  the  rush  of  Niagara.  In 
cloud-bursts  we  have  the  very  opposite,  for  they  are  produced  by 


THE    WORLD'S    WONDERS.  37 

the  rapid  rotary  motion  of  descending  currents,  and  in  the  equa- 
torial regions  they  often  deluge  and  desolate  vast  tracts  of  land, 
destroying  buildings  and  stock,  and  sometimes  washing  up  large 
trees. 

FORMATION    OF    ISLANDS. 

NINE-TENTHS  of  the  islands  which  dot  the  ocean  lie  within  the 
tropics.  These  islands  are  divided  into  two  great  classes.  The 
one  class  is  of  volcanic  origin,  upheaved  from  the  depth  of  the 
ocean  ;  or,  rather,  they  are  lofty  peaks  of  mountains,  whose 
sides  and  bases  lie  deep  in  the  water.  There  are  two  opposite 
theories  to  account  for  the  existence  and  present  appearance  of 
these  islands.  According  to  one  theory,  a  continent  once  occu- 
pied a  large  portion  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  within  the  tropics,  a 
large  portion  of  which  has  sunk  beneath  the  water,  and  these 
islands  are  but  the  peaks  and  table  lands  of  that  lost  continent. 
The  other  theory  is  that  these  islands  have  been  for  unknown 
ages,  and  now  are,  slowly  being  lifted  up  from  the  depth  below. 
Both  theories  rest  upon  so  wide  an  induction  of  facts  that  both 
may  be  accepted  as  true ;  or  rather  as  parts  of  the  one  great 
truth,  that  the  crust  of  the  earth,  which  we  are  wont  to  consider 
so  firm  and  stable,  is  now,  as  it  always  has  been,  rising  and 
falling,  as  truly  as  the  surface  of  the  water  rises  and  falls  by 
the  attraction  of  the  sun  and  moon  ;  only  that  these  periodic 
changes  are  measured  by  ages  instead  of  by  hours.  "NY ho  shall 
say  that  in  the  higher  knowledge  which  we  shall  gain  during  the 
ages  of  the  future  we  may  not  attain  to  the  understanding  that 
the  rise  and  sinking  of  continents  is  like  that  of  the  tides,  gov- 
erned by  law,  and  that  we  may  not  be  able  to  express  in  figures, 
which  will  then  be  quite  finite  to  us.  though  now  seeming  infinite, 
the  years  that  have  elapsed  since  "  heaven  and  earth  rose  out  of 
chaos !" 

Volcanic  islands  are  found  in  all  oceans.  Iceland  nas  its 
Heckla,  Sicily  its  JEtna,  Hawaii  its  Mauna  Kea  and  Mauna  Loa> 
Niphon  its  Fusiyama.  From  Sumatra,  Java  and  Sumbawa, 
Ternate  and  Tidore,  Borneo,  Celebes  and  Gilolo,  close  by  the 
equator,  thence  northward  and  north-westward  to  the  Kurile 


38 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


Islands,  hard  by  the  frozen  coast  of  Kamchatka,  is  one  great 
belt  of  volcanic  islands,  spreading  out  like  a  fan  through  Polyn- 


VOLCANIC  ERUPTIONS  AS  SEEN  IN   THE  ISLAND   OF  JAVA. 


esia.     But  in  the  tropical  seas,  and  there   alone,  are  coraUno 
islands,  built  up,  grain  by  grain,  by  minute  living  beings. 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  39 

The  simplest  form  of  these  coral  islands  is  a  ring  enclosing  a 
portion  of  the  ocean.  Sometimes  this  ring  is  barely  two  miles 
in  diameter;  sometimes  it  reaches  a  hundred  miles,  rising  only 
a  half-score  of  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  and  owing  to 
the  convexity  of  the  surface  of  the  ocean  invisible  from  the 
deck  of  a  ship  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  two,  unless  they 
happen  to  be  covered  with  tall  palms  or  pandanus.  The  roar  of 
the  surf  dashing  upon  their  windward  side  is  often  heard  bo- 
fore  the  island  itself  comes  into  view.  On  the  outer  side  this 
ring,  or  atoll,  slopes  gradually  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more,  to 
a  depth  of  twenty-five  fathoms,  and  then  plunges  sheer  down 
into  the  waters  with  a  descent  more  rapid  than  the  cone  of  any 
volcano.  At  a  distance  of  five  hundred  yards  no  bottom  has 
been  reached  with  a  sounding  line  of  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length. 
All  below  the  surface  of  the  water  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred 
feet  is  alive  ;  all  above  and  below  this  section  dead,  for  the  coral 
insect  can  live  only  within  this  range. 

These  atolls  assume  every  form  and  condition.  Sometimes 
they  are  solitary  specks  in  the  waste  of  waters.  Oftener 
they  occur  in  groups.  The  Caroline  Archipelago  has  sixty 
groups  extending  over  a  space  of  1,000  square  miles.  Some- 
times a  group  of  atolls  becomes  partially  joined  into  one, 
the  irregular  ring  encircling  an  island-studded  lagoon,  with  open- 
ings through  which  a  ship  may  enter.  Sometimes  these  coral 
formations  take  the  form  of  long  reefs  bordering  an  extensive 
coast.  Such  a  reef  runs  parallel  to  the  coast  of  Malabar  for 
nearly  500  miles.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  atolls  arranged  in  a 
double  row,  separated  by  a  sea  whose  depth  no  line  has 
sounded  ;  yet  from  outer  to  inner  edge  of  the  double  row  is  a 
space  of  but  fifty  miles.  Such  a  broken  coral  reef  often 
girdles  a  volcanic  inland.  Tahiti,  the  largest  of  the  Society 
group,  is  a  fine  example  of  this  kind.  The  island  rises  in 
mountains  7,000  feet  high,  with  only  a  narrow  plain  along 
the  shore.  The  lagoon  which  encompasses  it  like  a  great  moat 
is  thirty  fathoms  deep,  and  is  shut  out  from  the  ocean  by  a  coral 
band  at  a  distance  of  from  half  a  mile  to  three  miles. 


40  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

But  there  are    coral  reefs  of    far  greater   magnitude.     The 

O  O 

grandest  is  that  extending  along  the  northeast  coast  of  Australia. 
Rising  from  an  unfathomed  ocean,  it  extends  for  1,000  miles 
along  the  coast,  with  a  breadth  of  from  200  yards  to  a 
mile,  and  at  an  average  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles, 
though  sometimes  double  that  space.  This  long,  narrow  lagoon 
is  never  less  than  ten  fathoms  deep,  and  often  six  times  as  much, 
so  that  the  "  Great  Eastern,"  the  hugest  vessel  that  ever  floated, 
if  it  once  passed  through  one  of  the  openings  in  the  reef, 
might  sail  as  though  in  a  tranquil  harbor  for  1,000  miles  in  sight 
of  land  on  either  side,  without  its  keel  for  an  instant  reaching 
half-way  to  the  bottom. 

The  direct  influence  of  the  ocean  upon  the  islands  of  the 
tropical  world  is  great  in  every  respect.  It  gives  an  almost  tem- 
perate climate  to  low  lands  lying  under  the  equator,  and  thus 
modifies  their  fauna  and  flora,  in  accordance  with  known  laws  of 
nature.  But  the  ocean  and  air  in  their  currents  also  determine 
the  vegetable,  animal  and  human  life  of  the  islands  of  the 
tropical  world  in  an  accidental  manner. 

Time  was  when  the  volcanic  islands  of  the  tropics  were 
masses  of  naked  rock,  the  coralline  islands  patches  of  barren 
sand.  The  elements  disintegrated  the  surface  of  the  rock  and 
ground  the  coral  into  the  soil.  Some  day  a  fruit — perhaps  a 
cocoa  or  bread-fruit — drifted  along  by  currents,  touched  the 
island ;  or  a  bird,  swept  far  out  to  sea,  having  in  its  crop  an 
undigested  seed,  rested  its  weary  wing  upon  solid  land.  The 
chance-planted  fruit  or  seed  took  root  and  grew,  and  produced 
its  kind,  and  in  time  the  waste  island  was  clothed  with  verdure. 
Other  birds  found  a  home  in  the  new  forests,  built  their  nests, 
and  raised  their  young,  so  that  the  islands  became  populous  with 
the  winged  tribes.  Animals,  of  course,  could  only  rarely  cross 
the  waste  of  waters.  Hence  the  comparative  paucity  of  this 
form  of  life  in  islands  remote  from  the  main  land.  Swine  were 
almost  the  only  quadrupeds  which  the  early  European  navi- 
gators found  in  Polynesia ;  and  they  were  doubtless  brought 
there  by  human  means.  Mankind  reached  the  islands  iu  a  like 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  41 

accidental  manner.  Perhaps  a  canoe  from  the  Malayan  shoies 
drifted  upon  the  Fiji  Islands,  and  its  rowers  became  the  progeni- 
tors of  the  black  cannibals  ;  or  a  junk  from  China  or  Japan  was 
cast  away  upon  Tahiti  or  Hawaii.  These  wanderers,  cut  off 
from  intercourse  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  developed  their 
barbarism  or  semi-civilization  in  their  own  way,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  altered  conditions,  climate  and  productions.  The  story 
of  the  "  Bounty,''  and  the  first  settlement  of  Pitcairn's  Island, 
too  well  known  to  require  more  than  a  passing  allusion,  shows 
that  such  a  canoe  or  junk  voyage  is  altogether  possible,  and  how 
widely  in  the  course  of  a  single  generation  a  group  of  isolated 
individuals  deviate  from  their  original  stock. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    GREAT  PLATEAU    AND    ITS    WONDERS. 

WITHIN  the  geographical  limits  of  the  tropical  world  is  found 
every  variety  of  climate  upon  the  globe.  There  are  great  moun- 
tain ranges  which,  even  at  the  equator,  rise  above  the  limits  of 
perpetual  snow.  Their  summits,  untrodden  by  man,  and  un vis- 
ited by  any  other  form  of  animal  life,  must  be  more  desolate 
than  the  most  extreme  polar  regions  to  which  explorers  have 
been  unable  to  penetrate.  Of  living  creatures  the  strong-winged 
condor  alone  has  reached  so  high.  Upon  these  dreary  crags  this 
great  bird  is  king  of  all ;  here  it  rears  its  brood  unmolested,  and 
from  its  eyrie  surveys  the  valleys  below  and  swoops  down,  with 
rushing  wings,  upon  defenseless  flocks,  and  bears  away  in  its 
cruel  talons  the  young  of  the  various  folds.  Keen  of  vision, 
and  no  less  wary,  it  has  no  enemies  to  fight,  and  thus  lords  its 
way  in  the  world,  multiplies  and  annually  becomes  more  destruc- 
tive in  its  ravages.  Nature  has  provided  this  wonderful  bird 
with  a  power  which  is  given  to  no  other  bird  or  animal,  that  of 
sustaining  life  at  such  great  altitudes. 

The  most  remarkable,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  lofty  plateaus 


42  THE   WORLD'S    WONDERS. 

that  has  been  occupied  by  man,  is  known  as  the  Puna  or  Altos 
of  Peru.  It  extends  through  a  great  part  of  the  length  of  Peru 
and  Bolivia,  at  a  height  of  10,000  to  14,000  feet  above  sea  level. 
It  is  that  cold  and  rugged  region  which  forms  the  broad  summit 
of  the  Cordillera.  It  has  the  aspect  of  an  irregular  plain  and  is 
diversified  with  mountain  ridges  and  snowy  volcanic  peaks, 
imposing  in  their  proportions,  notwithstanding  that  they  rise 
from  a  level  of  14,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Squier,  who  has 
written  much  on  South  America,  describing  his  travels  through 
its  several  countries,  presents  a  very  graphic  picture  of  the  Puna 
and  its  ascent  as  follows  :  "  Pocla  is  a  poor  but  picturesque  little 
village,  with  a  small  white  church  gleaming  out  against  the  dull 
brown  of  the  bare  mountain  side.  It  is  9,700  feet  above  the  sea. 
Still  ascending,  our  mules  began  to  pant  under  the  influence  of 
the  soroche,  or  rarification  of  the  air,  but  which  the  drivers 
insisted  was  from  the  veta,  or  influence  due  to  the  veins  of  metal 
in  the  earth.  At  La  Portada,  12, GOO  feet  above  sea  level,  or 
1,000  feet  higher  than  the  Hospice  of  the  grand  St.  Bernard,  I 
witnessed  a  scene  more  wild  and  desolate  than  I  have  beheld  in 
crossing  the  Alps  by  the  routes  of  the  Simplon,  the  grand  St. 
Bernard,  or  the  St.  Gothard.  There  is  neither  tree  nor  shrub  ; 
the  frosty  soil  cherishes  no  grass,  and  the  very  lichens  find  scant 
hold  on  the  bare  rocks.  The  native  rum  which  I  had  purchased 
for  making  a  fire  for  preparing  my  coffee,  refused  to  burn,  and 
extinguished  the  lighted  match  thrust  into  it  as  if  it  were  water. 
I  was  obliged  to  abstract  some  refined  alcohol  from  my  photo- 
graphic stores  to  supply  its  place.  At  the  pass  of  Guaylillos, 
14,750  feet  above  the  sea,  one  of  my  companions  fell  from  his 
saddle  under  the  influence  of  the  rarified  air.  On  lifting  him 
from  the  ground  we  found  him  nearly  senseless,  with  blood 
trickling  from  his  mouth,  ears,  nostrils,  and  the  corners  of  his 
eyes.  Copious  vomiting  followed  and  we  administered  the  usual 
remedies  with  good  effect.  In  doing  this  I  drew  off  my  gloves, 
and  was  surprised  to  find  my  hands  swollen  and  covered  with 
blood,  which  appeared  as  if  it  had  oozed  from  a  thousand  minute 
punctures." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  43 

PERILS  OF  HIGH  ALTITUDE. 

OTHER  travelers  give  similar  accounts  of  the  climate  of  the 
Puna.  Cold  winds  from  the  icy  Cordilleras,  whose  summits 
often  rise  8,000  feet  above  the  plateau,  sweep  over  their  surface, 
and  during  eight  months  of  the  year  they  are  daily  visited  by 
fearful  storms.  In  a  few  hours  the  change  of  the  temperature 
often  amounts  to  forty  or  fifty  degrees,  and  the  sudden  fall  is 
rendered  still  more  disagreeable  to  the  traveler  by  the  biting 
winds  which  irritate  the  hands  and  face.  The  lips  suffer  especially, 
breaking  out  into  deep  rents  which  heal  with  difficulty.  The 
eyes  also  suffer  intensely.  The  rapid  changes  from  a  cloudy  sky 
to  the  brilliancy  of  a  snow-field,  glistening  in  the  sun,  produces 
an  affection  which  the  natives  call  the  sarumpe.  So  intolerable 
is  the  burning  and  stinging  that  even  the  stoical  Indian,  when 
attacked,  will  fling  himself  on  the  ground  uttering  cries  of  an- 
guish and  despair.  Chronic  ophthalmia,  suppuration  of  the  eye- 
lids, and  total  blindness,  are  frequent  consequences  of  the 
sarumpe,  against  which  the  traveler  over  the  highlands  endeavors 
to  guard  himself  by  wearing  green  spectacles  or  a  dark  veil. 

Tne  first  symptoms  of  the  veto,  or  soroche  usually  appear  at  an 
elevation  of  some  12,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  They 
frequently  manifest  themselves  in  those  who  ride,  but  are  greatly 
aggravated  when  the  traveler  ascends  on  foot.  The  giddiness 
and  nausea  are  accompanied  with  an  insupportable  sense  of  lassi- 
tude, difficulty  of  breathing,  and  violent  palpitation  of  the  heart, 
followed  by  spitting  of  blood  and  a  bloody  diarrhoea.  This  last 
affliction  is,  however,  to  a  considerable  extent  occasioned  by  the 
noxious  character  of  the  water.  * '  All  the  water  of  the  Despobla- 
do,"  says  Squier,  "even  that  which  does  not  display  any  evidence 
of  foreign  or  mineral  substances  in  solution,  is  more  or  less  pur- 
gative, and  often  productive  of  very  bad  effects.  In  many  parts 
the  thirsty  traveler  discovers  springs  as  bright  and  limpid  as 
those  of  our  New  England  hills  ;  yet  when  he  dismounts  to  drink, 
his  muleteer  will  rush  forward  in  affright,  with  the  warning  cry, 
'  Beware,  es  agua  de  Verugal '  The  Veruga  water  is  said  to  pro- 
duce a  terrible  disease  called  by  the  same  name,  which  manifests 


44  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

itself  outwardly  in  both  men  and  animals  in  great  bleeding  boils 
and  carbuncles,  which  occasion  much  distress,  and  often  result  in 
death." 

The  veto,  shows  itself  also  in  animals  unaccustomed  to  moun- 
tain traveling.  They  proceed  more  and  more  slowly,  frequently 
stop,  trembling  all  over,  and  fall  to  the  ground.  If  not  allowed 
to  rest  they  inevitably  die.  The  natives  are  accustomed  to  slit 
the  nostrils  of  their  mules  and  horses  in  order  to  allow  a  greater 
influx  of  air.  Mules  and  asses  are  less  affected  by  the  vela  than 
horses  ;  but  it  is  fatal  to  cats,  who  are  unable  to  live  at  a  height 
of  more  than  13,000  feet. 

Another  consequence  of  the  diminished  pressure  of  the  air  is 
that  water  boils  at  so  low  a  temperature  that  meat,  vegetables 
and  eggs  cannot  be  boiled  sufficienty  to  be  edible,  and  whoever 
wishes  a  warm  meal  in  the  Puna  must  have  it  baked  or  roasted. 

Winter  and  spring  are  no  where  in  such  close  proximity  as  in 
the  Peruvian  highlands,  for  deep  valleys  furrow  the  bleak  Puna, 
and  when  the  traveler,  benumbed  by  the  cold  blasts  of  the  moun- 
tain plateaus,  descends  into  these  valleys  he  finds  the  change  as 
great  as  between  the  rigors  of  a  Polar  climate  and  the  soft  balm 
of  delicious  spring  redolent  with  nature's  perfumes.  There  are 
regions  in  Peru  where  a  traveler  may,  in  the  morning,  leave  the 
snow-covered  Puna  hut  in  which  he  has  shivered  over  night,  and 
before  sunset  pluck  pine-apples  and  bananas  on  the  cultivated 
margin  of  a  forest  and  repose  in  comfort  under  no  other  cover- 
ing than  the  drooping  feathery  leaves  of  gigantic  palms. 

But  in  this  vast  elevated  region  there  is  nothing  else  which 
possesses  so  deep  human  interest  as  Lake  Titicaca,  for  in  it  is 
embosomed  the  sacred  island,  to  which  the  Incas  traced  their 
origin,  and  which  to  this  day  is  to  their  descendants  all  that 
Jerusalem  and  Mecca  are  to  Christians  and  MohammedanSc 
This  beautiful  body  of  fresh  water  is  at  the  elevation  of  12,864 
feet  above  the  sea,  higher  than  any  point  in  Europe  except  the 
ten  loftiest  peaks  of  the  Alps.  It  is  120  miles  long,  and  from 
fifty  to  sixty  miles  wide.  Though  the  temperature  falls  quite 

low  the  lake  never  freezes  over,  but  ice  forms  along  its  shores. 

' 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  45 

In  the  winter  months  the  temperature  of  the  lake  is  usually  ten 
or  twelve  degrees  higher  than  that  of  the  atmosphere. 

SACRED    LAKES   AND    BEAUTIFUL    TRADITIONS. 

THE  largest  island  in  this  lake  is  the  sacred  island  of  Titicaca 
bare  and  rocky,  about  six  miles  long  and  five  miles  broad. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  here  Manco  Capac  and  Mama  Oella,  at 
once  his  wife  and  sister,  who  were  both  children  of  the  sun  and 
messengers  of  that  luminary,  started  on  their  errand  to  civilize 
the  barbarous  tribes  which  then  occupied  the  country.  Manco 
Capac  was  directed  to  travel  northward  until  he  should  reach  a 
spot  where  his  golden  staff  would  sink  into  the  ground  of  its  own 
accord,  and  there  he  was  to  fix  the  seat  of  his  empire  In 
obedience  to  these  directions  he  traveled  slowly  along  the  western 
shore  of  lake  Titicaca,  through  the  barren  Puna  lands,  until  he 
reached  the  Vilcanota  river,  one  of  the  principal  branches  of  the 
Amazon,  when  he  descended  its  valley  and,  after  a  journey  of 
three  hundred  miles,  his  golden  staff  sank  into  the  ground  upon 
the  spot  where  the  city  of  Cuzco  now  stands.  Here  he  fixed  his 
seat  of  empire,  and  here  arose  the  city  of  the  sun,  the  capital  of 
the  Inca  Empire,  which  in  time  spread  over  a  length  of  37°  of 
latitude,  and  in  breadth  from  the  eastern  base  of  the  Andes 
westward  to  where  the  Pacific  beats  against  the  deeply  planted 
feet  of  the  Cordilleras. 

So  runs  the  legend  ;  but  there  is  much  mythical  matter  incor- 
porated into  the  traditions  respecting  Manco  Capac.  We  find 
his  counterpart  in  the  Fohi  of  the  Chinese,  the  Buddha  of  the 
Hindus,  the  Osiris  of  Egypt,  the  Odin  of  Scandinavia,  the  Jatza- 
coal  of  Mexico,  and  the  Votan  of  Central  America.  Still  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  he  is  a  real  historical  character,  to  whom,  how- 
ever, have  been  attributed  many  of  the  achievements  of  those 
who  preceded  him,  and  perhaps  of  some  who  followed  him. 
The  time  when  he  lived  is  altogether  uncertain.  Some,  studying 
the  quippus,  or  knotted  cords,  which  are  the  only  records  of 
ancient  Peruvian  history,  place  his  advent  back  to  within  five 
centuries  after  the  deluge.  But  the  best  authorities  give  the 
date  approximately  at  about  four  centuries  before  the  arrival  of 


46  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

the  Spaniards  under  Pizarro,  or  about  1000,  A.  D.,  the  period 
when  all  Christendom  was  hurling  itself  in  the  crusades  upon  the 
Holy  Land. 

WONDERS    OF   AN  EXTINCT  CIVILIZATION. 

THIS  civilization,  in  some  respects  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
which  the  world  has  ever  seen,  had  its  origin  in  the  lofty  table- 
land of  the  Puna,  which  we  are  now  considering ;  and  far  and 
wide  as  the  reign  of  the  Incas  subsequently  extended,  they  and 
their  subjects  always  retained  their  reverence  for  the  little  rocky 
islet  in  Lake  Titicaca,  where  it  had  its  origin.  At  the  northern 
end  of  the  island  is  a  frayed  and  water-worn  mass  of  red  sand- 
stone, about  225  feet  long  and  twenty-five  feet  high.  This  is 
the  sacred  rock  of  Manco  Capac,  the  most  holy  spot  in  all  Peru. 
Upon  it,  as  was  believed,  no  bird  would  alight,  no  animal  venture, 
and  upon  which  no  human  being  not  of  royal  blood  dared  set 
his  foot.  From  this  rock  the  sun  first  rose  to  dispel  the  primal 
vapors  and  illuminate  the  world.  It  was,  so  runs  the  legend, 
planted  all  over  with  gold  and  silver,  and,  except  upon  the  most 
solemn  occasions,  covered  with  a  veil  of  cloth  of  costly  material 
and  gorgeous  colors.  The  gold  and  silver,  as  well  as  the 
gorgeous  covering,  have  long  since  disappeared,  and  what  is  now 
seen  is  only  a  bare  rock,  on  the  crest  of  the  island,  which  rises 
2,000  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  lake.  Yet  even  now,  when 
the  Indian  guides  come  within  sight  of  it  they  raise  their  hats, 
bow  reverently,  and  mutter  words  of  mystic  import,  which  they 
themselves  most  likely  do  not  understand.  In  front  of  the  rock 
is  a  level  artificial  terrace,  372  feet  long  and  125  feet  broad? 
supported  by  a  low  stone  wall.  According  to  tradition  the  soil 
which  once  covered  this  terrace  was  carried  upon  the  backs  of 
men  from  the  distant  valleys  of  the  Amazon,  so  that  it  might 
nourish  a  vegetation  denied  by  the  hard,  ungrateful  soil  of  the 
island. 

Everywhere  on  the  holy  island  are  the  ruins  of  Inea  structures, 
and  the  sites  of  the  most  sacred  spots  are  still  shown.  Here  is 
the  sheltered  bay  where  the  Incas  landed  when  they  came  to  visit 
the  spot  consecrated  to  the  sun.  Halfway  up  the  ascent  are  the 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


47 


"footprints"  of  the  great  Inca  Tuptinqui,  marking  the  place 
where  he  stood  when,  catching  his  first  view  of  the  hallowed 
reck,  he  removed  the  imperial  covering  from  his  head  in  token 


of  adoration  of  the  divinity  whose  shrine  rose  before  him.  These 
so-called  foot  prints  hear  strong  resemblance  to  the  impressions 
of  a  gigantic  foot,  thirty-six  inches  long  and  of  proportionate 


48  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

breadth.  Their  outline  is  formed  by  hard  ferruginous  veins 
around  which  the  softer  rock  has  been  worn  away,  leaving  them 
in  relief. 

THE    FOUNTAIN    OF    THE    INCAS. 

THE  Fountain  of  the  Incas  is  situated  in  a  sheltered  nook, 
surrounded  with  terraces  upon  which  grow  patches  of  maize  with 
ears  not  longer  than  one's  finger.  The  bath  is  a  pool  forty  feet 
long,  ten  wide,  and  five  deep,  built  of  worked  stones.  Into  this 
pour  four  jets  of  water,  as  large  as  a  man's  aim,  from  openings 
cut  in  the  stones  behind.  The  water  comes  through  subterranean 
passages  from  sources  now  unknown,  and  never  diminishes  in 
volume.  It  flows  to-day  as  freely  as  when  the  Incas  resorted 
here  and  cut  the  deep  hill-sides  into  terraces,  bringing  the  earth 
all  the  way  from  the  Valley  of  Yucay,  or  "Vale  of  Imperial 
Delights,"  four  hundred  miles  distant.  Over  the  walls  droop 
the  tendrils  of  vines  ;  and  what  with  the  odors  and  the  tinkle 
and  patter  of  the  water  one  might  imagine  himself  in  the  court 
of  the  Alhambra. 

Besides  the  sacred  Island  of  Titicaca,  there  are  eight  smaller 
ones  in  the  lake.  Soto  was  the  Isle  of  Penitence,  where  the 
Incas  were  wont  to  resort  for  fasting  and  humiliation.  Coati 
was  sacred  to  the  moon,  the  wife  and  sister  of  the  sun,  and  on  it 
is  the  palace  of  the  Virgins  of  the  Sun,  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able and  best  preserved  remains  of  aboriginal  architecture  on 
the  continent  of  America. 

At  Tihuanico,  on  the  border  of  the  lake,  are  immense  ruins 
which  clearly  antedate  the  time  of  the  Incas.  They  were  ruins 
when  the  Spaniards  made  their  appearance,  and  the  natives  could 
give  no  account  of  them.  They  supposed  that  they  were  built 
by  divine  architects  in  a  single  night.  Cieza  de  Leon,  one  of  the 
companions  of  Pizarro,  writes  of  them  :  "  What  most  surprised 
me  was  that  the  enormous  gateways  were  formed  on  other  great 
masses  of  stone,  some  of  which  were  thirty  feet  long,  fifteen 
wide,  and  six  thick.  I  cannot  conceive  with  what  tools  or  instru- 
ments these  stones  were  hewn  out,  for  they  must  have  been  vastly 
larger  than  we  now  see  them .  It  is  supposed  that  sonre  of  these 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  49 

structures  were  built  long  before  the  dominion  of  the  Incas  ;  and 
I  have  heard  the  Indians  affirm  that  these  sovereigns  constructed 
their  great  building  a;t  Cuzco  after  the  plans  of  the  walls  of 
Tihuanico."  The  most  remarkable  thing  in  these  ruins  are  the 
great  doorways  of  a  single  block  of  stone.  The  largest  of  these 
is  ten  feet  high  and  thirteen  broad,  the  opening  cut  through  it 
being  six  feet  four  inches  high,  and  three  feet  two  inches  wide. 
The  whole  neighborhood  is  strewn  with  immense  blocks  of  stone 
elaborately  wrought,  equaling  if  not  surpassing  in  size  any 
known  to  exist  in  Egypt,  India,  or  any  part  of  the  world.  Some 
of  these  are  thirty  feet  long,  eighteen  broad,  and  six  thick. 

All  these  gigantic  remains  of  a  past  civilization  are  found  in  the 
lofty  table-land  of  the  Puna.  When  these  come  to  be  fully 
described  and  illustrated,  it  will  be  seen  that  here,  in  a  climate 
so  cold  that  hardly  a  vegetable  will  grow  which  man  can  use  for 
food,  were  planted  the  seeds  of  a  civilization  as  remarkable  as 
any  which  ever  existed.  More  wonderful,  perhaps,  than  these 
great  architectural  works  were  the  great  military  roads  con- 
structed by  the  Incas.  One  reached  from  Cuzco  down  to  the 
ocean.  The  other  stretched  from  the  capital,  along  the  very 
crest  of* the  Cordilleras,  and  down  their  ravines,  to  Quito,  1,200 
miles  distant.  The  length  of  these  great  roads,  including 
branches,  was  not  less  than  3,000  miles.  Modern  travelers  com- 
pare them  with  the  best  in  the  world.  They  were  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-five  feet  broad,  paved  with  immense  blocks  of  stone, 
sometimes  covered  with  asphaltum.  In  ascending  steep  moun- 
tains, broad  steps  were  cut  in  the  rock  ;  ravines  were  filled  with 
heavy  embankments  flanked  with  parapets,  and,  wherever  the 
climate  permitted,  lined  with  shade  trees  and  shrubs,  with  houses 
at  regular  distances  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers,  and 
specially  serving  as  post-stations.  For  there  was  a  regular 
postal  service  by  which  the  Incas  could  send  messages  from  one 
extremity  of  their  dominion  to  the  other.  This  service  was  per- 
formed by  runners  ;  for  the  Peruvians  had  no  beasts  of  burden 
stronger  or  swifter  than  the  llama.  These  messengers  were 
trained  to  great  speed.  On  approaching  a  station  they  gave  a 


50  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

loud  shout  to  warn  the  next  courier  of  their  approach,  so  that  he 
might  be  ready  to  take  the  message  or  parcel  without  delay.  In 
this  manner  it  is  said  that  dispatches  were  sent  at  the  rate  of  150 
miles  a  day,  a  speed  uuequaled  until  within  our  own  times,  when 
the  rail  way  and  the  telegraph  have  brought  the  ends  of  the  world 
almost  together. 

WONDERS  Or  THREE  DEAD  CITIES. 

THE  only  parts  of  America  which,  before  the  arrival  of 
Europeans,  were  in  some  degree  civilized,  were  Mexico  and  Peru  ; 
to  which  may  probably  be  added  that  long  and  narrow  tract 
which  stretches  from  the  south  of  Mexico  to  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama.  In  this  latter  country,  which  is  now  known  as 
Central  America,  the  inhabitants,  aided  by  the  fertility  of  the 
soil,  seem  to  have  worked  out  for  themselves  a  certain  amount  of 
knowledge,  since  the  ruins  still  extant  prove  the  possession  of  a 
mechanical  and  architectural  skill  too  considerable  to  be  acquired 
by  any  nation  entirely  barbarous.  Beyond  this  nothing  is 
known  of  their  history  ;  but  the  accounts  we  have  of  such  build- 
ings as  Copan,  Palenque  and  Uxmal,  make  it  highly  probable 
that  Central  America  was  the  ancient  seat  of  a  civilization  in  all 
essential  points  similar  to  those  of  India  and  Egypt ;  that  is  to 
say,  similar  to  them  in  respect  to  the  unequal  distribution 
of  wealth  and  power,  and  the  thraldom  in  which  the  great  body 
of  the  people  consequently  remained. 

Mr.  Squier,  who  explored  Nicaragua,  says  of  the  statues  which 
he  saw  in  large  numbers  about  the  ruins  of  old  palaces  :  "  The 
material,  in  every  case,  is  a  black  basalt,  of  great  hardness, 
which,  with  the  best  of  modern  tools,  can  only  be  cut  with  diffi- 
culty." Mr.  Stephens,  another  explorer  of  Central  America, 
says  he  found  at  Palenque  "elegant  specimens  of  art  and  models 
for  study,"  and  of  the  paintings  he  found  at  Chichen  he  writes  : 
"They  exhibit  a  freedom  of  touch  which  could  only  be  the 
result  of  discipline  and  training  under  masters."  At  Copan 
the  same  writer  declares  that  "  it  would  be  impossible,  with  the 
best  instruments  of  modern  times,  to  cut  stones  more  per- 
fectly." These  evidences  unmistakably  confirm  the  impression 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  51 

that  in  many  respects  the  civilization  of  Europe  or  the  United 
States  does  not  show  a  greater  degree  of  intellectual  refinement 
or  any  more  progress  in  the  arts  and  sciences  than  the  people  of 
Mexico,  Central  America  and  Peru  were  acquainted  with.  The 
same  is  true  of  Egypt,  and  we  cannot  contemplate  these  wonders 
to-day  without  being  impressed  with  the  belief  that  civilizations, 
like  tides,  ebb  and  flow,  their  rise  and  fall  being  dependent  upon 
change  of  climate,  revulsions  of  nature,  or  protracted  wars, 
though  measured  by  centuries. 

THE   AMAZON   RIVER. 

THE  wonders  of  South  America  do  not,  however,  cluster 
around  the  ruins  of  a  past  civilization,  for  one  of  the  greatest 
of  natural  wonders  is  the  mighty  Amazon  River  and  its  marvel- 
lous effect  upon  the  vegetation  and  animal  life  of  Brazil.  This 
remarkable  stream  was  discovered  by  Yanez  Pinzor  in  the  year 
1500,  and  was  first  navigated  by  one  of  Pizarro's  officers  named 
Orellana,  in  1541.  The  word  Amazon  is  supposed  to  be  derived 
from  the  story  of  Orellana' s  fight  with  a  body  of  Amazons — a 
nation  of  female  warriors, — although  some  declare  it  is  from  an 
Indian  word,  Amassona — boat  destroyer — which  is  decidedly 
improbable.  The  men  who  opposed  Orellana  wore  long  tunics 
and  parted  their  hair  in  the  middle,  which  fact,  aided  by  the 
fabled  Amazons  of  the  Caucasus,  doubtless  led  him  to  believe 
them  women. 

The  total  length  of  this  gigantic  stream,  as  estimated  by 
Lieutenant  Herndon,  is  3,944  miles,  and  its  average  depth  forty- 
three  feet,  quite  enough  to  float  the  largest  ocean  steamers,  but 
owing  to  the  numerous  falls  and  rapids  it  is  really  navigable  for 
steam  vessels  only  about  500  miles  from  its  mouth.  A  singular 
feature  of  the  Amazon  is  its  abrupt  banks,  there  being  no  shoal 
water  near  the  shore  as  in  other  rivers,  soundings  taken  from 
the  bank  often  showing  fifty  feet  or  more,  equaling  the  greatest 
depth  of  the  mid-stream.  Like  nearly  all  tropical  rivers,  the 
Amazon  is  subject  to  periodical  inundations.  The  banks,  which 
are  generally  high,  are  overflowed  and  vast  tracts  of  land 
flooded  to  such  an  extent,  indeed,  that  its  freshening  effects  are 


THE  WOBLD'S  WONDERS. 


perceptible  for  many  miles  on  either  side.  The  rise  above  the 
lowest  level  of  the  stream  is  sometimes  as  great  as  fifty  feet,  and 
the  ocean  tide,  following  the  river,  is  noticeable  nearly  500  miies 


from  the  mouth.   The  bore — tidal  wave — of  the  Amazon  exceeds 
that  of  any  other  river  of  the  world.     La  Condamine,  more 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  53 

than    100  years   ago,   accurately  described  it  in   these  words : 

DESTRUCTIVE    TIDES    OF   THE   AMAZON. 

"  DURING  three  days  before  the  full  and  new  moons,  the  period 
of  highest  tides,  the  sea,  instead  of  occupying  six  hours  to  reach 
its  flood,  swells  to  its  highest  limits  in  one  or  two  minutes.  The 
noise  of  this  terrible  flood  is  heard  five  or  six  miles  and  increases 
as  it  approaches.  Presently  may  be  seen  a  liquid  promontory, 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  high,  followed  by  another  and  another,  and 
sometimes  by  a  fourth.  These  watery  mountains  spread  across 
the  whole  channel,  and  advance  with  a  prodigious  rapidity,  rend- 
ing and  crushing  everything  in  their  way.  Immense  trees  are 
instantly  uprooted  by  it,  and  sometimes  whole  tracts  of  laud  are 
swept  away." 

Another  characteristic  feature  is  the  system  of  back  channels 
joining  the  tributaries,  and  the  canoe  paths  through  the  forest. 
Following  these  narrow  water  roads  one  may  go  in  a  canoe  from 
Santaren  1,000  miles  up  the  Amazon  without  once  ever  entering 
the  river. 

The  enormous  valley  of  the  Amazon  is  walled  in  by  the  Andes 
and  the  highlands  of  Guiana  and  Matto  Grosso.  No  other  region 
of  equal  area  has  such  a  remarkably  uniform  character,  and  its 
geological  formation  is  of  deep  interest.  The  territory  through 
which  the  Amazon  flows  is  covered  with  vast  forests  and  pos- 
sesses a  soil  of  extraordinary  fertility.  "If,"  says  Humboldt, 
44  the  name  of  primeval  forest  can  be  given  to  any  forests  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  none,  perhaps,  can  so  strictly  claim  it  as  those 
that  fill  the  connected  basin  of  the  Orinoco  and  Amazon." 
"From  the  grassy  steppes  of  Venezuela  to  the  treeless  pampas 
of  Buenos  Ayres,"  says  a  later  traveler,  "expands  a  sea  of  ver- 
dure in  which  we  may  draw  a  circle  of  1,100  miles  in  diameter, 
which  shall  include  an  evergreen,  unbroken  forest.  There  is  a 
most  bewildering  diversity  of  grand  and  beautiful  trees — a  wild, 
unconquered  race  of  vegetable  giants,  draped,  festooned,  corded, 
matted  and  ribboned  with  climbing  and  creeping  plants,  woody 
and  succulent  in  endless  variety." 

Animal  life  is  not  so  conspicuous  in  the  forest  as  on  the  river ; 


54  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

the  latter  is  fairly  crowded  with  strange  fishes,  alligators,  great 
turtles,  porpoises,  manitees — sea  cow — and  enormous  anacondas. 
Through  the  forest  are  scattered  mammals,  birds  and  reptiles, 
the  more  common  being  the  ferocious  puma  and  jaguar,  tapir, 
copyboras,  piccaries,  sloths,  deer,  armadillos,  monkeys,  parrots, 
to  weans  and  macaws.  The  shores  of  the  Amazon  are  but  thinly 
inhabited,  the  most  important  tribes  being  Mundurucus,  Tucunas 
and  Yagnos,  who  are  an  idle,  vagabondish  people,  regardless  of 
the  past  and  heedless  of  the  future. 


AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ANCIENT     DISCOVERIES. 

FROM  the  foregoing  outline  of  the  interesting  phases  of  nature 
in  South  America,  we  now  turn  to  that  most  interesting  of  all 
countries,  Africa,  which,  though  lying  within  the  same  zone  belts 
as  South  America,  and  having  a  somewhat  similar  physical 
aspect,  is  yet  possessed  of  very  many  peculiar  features  not  found 
elsewhere  in  the  world.  Here  the  most  ancient  records  place  the 
beginning  of  creation,  which,  though  in  allegory,  give  evidence 
of  the  birth  of  civilization  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  mighty 
and  wonderful  river,  the  Nile.  It  was  in  Africa  that  the  father 
of  history  was  born,  and  on  its  north-eastern  coast  or  interior 
were  builded  the  great  cities  of  Carthage,  Memphis  and  Alexan- 
dria, which,  for  a  time,  in  succession,  ruled  the  world.  Here  also 
the  Saracens,  in  their  practice  of  alchemy,  found  greater  than 
philosophers'  stones,  in  discovering,  by  accident,  so  many  useful 
facts  in  chemistry. 

The  history  of  Ancient  Africa  is  unwritten,  nor  has  it  ever 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  55 

been  determined  from  whence  the  name  originated,  though  hun- 
dreds of  philologists  have  attempted  to  explain  its  origin.  The 
earliest  mention  we  have  of  any  attempt  to  explore  the  country 
is  the  following,  from  a  book  published  by  John  Ogilby,  "Master 
of  His  Majesties  Revels  in  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland,"  in  1G70, 
the  full  title  of  which  would  occupy  nearly  one  page  of  this 
work,  but  which  is  descriptive  of  Africa.  In  the  quaint  stylo 
then  used,  it  says  : 

"  Amongst  the  Ancients,  Hanno,  a  Carthaginian,  sent  forth  by 
that  State,  discovered  long  since  much  of  the  Coasts  of  Africa, 
but  pierced  not  far  the  Inland  Country,  nor  did  his  Voyage  give 
great  light  that  they  might  after  steer  by,  though  translated  from 
the  Punick  Language  into  Greek,  and  published  by  Sigismund 
Gelenius  at  Brazill  in  1533.  And  in  the  reign  of  Necho,  King 
of  Egypt,  some  Pheuicians  from  the  Red-sea  sayl'd  by  the  Coast 
of  Africa  to  Gibralter,  from  thence  returning  the  same  way  they 
came.  Of  which  Herodotus  (Herodotus  wrote  nine  Books  of 
History,  according  to  the  number  of  the  Muses,  entituling  them 
in  order  by  one  of  their  names)  in  his  Melpomene  (Fourth  Book) 
says  :  The  Phenicians  sayling  from  the  Red-sea,  came  into  the 
Southern  Ocean,  and  after  three  years  reaching  Hercules  Pillars, 
returned  through  the  Mediterranean,  reporting  wonders  !  how 
that  they  had  the  Sun  at  Noon  on  their  Starboard,  or  North-side, 
to  which  I  give  little  credit,  and  others  may  believe  as  they 
please.  Nor  did  Sataspes'  Voyage  in  the  Reign  of  Xerxes,  King 
of  Persia,  in  the  year  of  the  world  3435,  give  us  any  better 
Hints  ;  of  which  thus  Herodotus  in  the  same  book  : 

"  '  Sataspes,  Teaspes'  son,  ravishing  a  virgin,  and  condemned 
to  be  crucified,  by  the  mediation  of  his  Mother,  Darius'  sister, 
was  to  suffer  no  more  than  to  undertake  a  voyage  round  Africa, 
which  he  but  slightly  performed  ;  for  passing  Gibralter,  he  sayl'd 
to  the  utmost  point  called  Siloe  (Cape  de  Verd),  from  thence 
sayling  on  southward  ;  but  being  weary,  returning  the  same  way 
he  came,  made  a  strange  relation  to  Xerxes,  how  he  had  seen 
remote  countreys,  where  he  found  few  people  in  Tynan  Purple, 
but  such  as  when  they  drew  near  the  Land,  forsook  their  abodes, 


56  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS . 

and  fled  up  into  the  Mountains,  and  that  they  only  drove  some 
of  their  Cattle  thence,  doing  them  no  further  damage  ;  adding 
also,  that  he  had  »ayled  round  Africa,  had  it  not  been  impossible  : 
To  which  the  King  giving  small  credit,  and  for  that  Sataspes 
had  not  performed  his  Undertaking,  remitted  him  to  his  former 
sentence.' 

"  As  little  availed  that  expedition  of  the  Nasamones  (a  People 
inhabiting  Tunis)  to  this  discovery,  who  (as  Herodotus  relates  in 
his  Euterpe,  second  book)  chose  by  lot  five  young  men  of  good 
Fortunes  and  Qualifications,  to  explore  the  African  Deserts, 
never  yet  penetrated,  to  inform  themselves  of  their  Vastness,  and 
what  might  be  beyond  ;  these  setting  forth  with  fit  Provisions, 
came  first  where  only  wild  Beasts  inhabited  ;  thence  traveling 
westward  through  barren  Lands,  after  many  days,  they  saw  a 
Plain  planted  with  Trees,  to  which  drawing  near  they  tasted 
their  Fruits,  whilest  a  Dwarf-like  People  came  to  them  about 
half  their  stature,  neither  by  speech  understanding  the  other, 
they  led  them  by  hand  over  a  vast  Common,  to  their  City,  where 
all  the  inhabitants  were  Blacks,  and  of  the  same  size ;  by  this 
City  ran  towards  the  East  a  great  River,  abounding  with  Croco- 
diles, which  Etearchus,  King  of  the  Ammonians,  to  whom  the 
Nasamones  related  this,  supposed  to  be  the  Nile.  This  is  all  we 
have  of  Antiquity,  and  from  one  single  Author,  who  writ  420 
years  before  the  Incarnation,  which  sufficiently  sets  forth  the 
Ignorance  of  the  Ancients  concerning  Africa." 

THE  DISADVANTAGES  OF  NATIVE  AFRICANS. 

WHAT  has  been  written  of  South  America  in  no  inconsiderable 
measure  applies  to  Africa,  but  there  are  disadvantages  noticeable 
in  the  latter  against  which  natives  of  the  former  country  do  not 
have  to  contend.  Africa  has  ever  appeared  like  a  country  cursed 
by  God,  its  people  in  the  greater  part  bearing  a  mark  that  has 
descended  apparently  from  posterity  to  posterity  since  the  day 
that  Ham  was  bitterly  cursed  by  his  father,  and  made  a  slave  to 
his  heartless  brothers.  Egypt,  the  seat  of  learning,  the  birth-place 
of  genius,  with  her  Alexandria  palace  and  her  great  philosophic 
schools,  is  now  only  a  mausoleum  of  a  dead  civilization,  like  an 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  57 

instrument  once  giving  forth  the  most  exquisite  melody,  now 
broken  and  stringless.  From  a  wonderfully  brilliant  sunlight, 
which  once  lighted  her  forums,  palaces,  specimens  of  art  and 
culture,  she  has  fallen  under  the  pall  of  age,  and  her  glory  now 
abides  under  the  sands  ;  her  Memphis  and  her  Thebes  are  inurned 
by  pelting  storms ;  the  Sphyux  and  the  Pyramids,  broken  and 
crusted  by  time,  are  now  only  curious  monuments  of  a  past  age 
that  will  return  no  more.  The  blood  of  Hypatia,  the  noblest 
woman  that  ever  championed  a  cause,  rose  round  the  temples 
which  her  murderers  desecrated,  and  the  demons  of  vengeance 
made  brooding  night  settle  upon  its  ruins. 

In  Egypt,  as  in  all  Africa,  there  has  ever  been  an  impassable 
barrier  between  the  rich  and  poor.  In  the  olden  time,  when 
Egypt  was  in  her  glory,  the  laws  were  atrociously  oppressive  ; 
if  a  member  of  the  industrial  classes  changed  his  usual  employ- 
ment, or  was  known  to  pay  any  attention  to  political  matters, 
he  was  severely  punished,  and  under  no  circumstances  was  the 
possession  of  land  allowed  to  an  agricultural  laborer,  to  a 
mechanic,  or,  indeed,  to  any  one  except  the  King,  the  Clergy, 
and  the  Army.  The  people  at  large  were  little  better  than  beasts 
of  burden  ;  and  all  that  was  expected  of  them  was  unremitting 
and  unrequited  labor.  If  they  neglected  their  work  they  were 
flogged  ;  and  the  same  punishment  was  frequently  inflicted  upon 
domestic  servants,  and  even  upon  women.  Hence  it  was  that 
the  industry  of  the  whole  nation,  being  at  the  absolute  command 
of  a  small  part  of  it,  there  arose  the  possibility  of  rearing  those 
vast  edifices,  which  inconsiderate  observers  admire  as  a  proof  of 
civilization,  but  which  in  reality  are  evidences  of  a  state  of  things 
altogether  depraved  and  unhealthy. 

That  in  such  a  society  as  this  much  regard  should  be  paid  to 
human  suffering,  it  would  be  idle  to  suppose.  Still,  we  are 
startled  by  the  reckless  prodigality  with  which,  in  Egypt,  the 
upper  classes  squandered  away  the  labor  and  lives  of  the  people. 
In  this  respect,  as  the  monuments  yet  remaining  abundantly 
prove,  they  stood  alone,  without  a  rival.  We  may  form  some 
idea  of  the  almost  incredible  waste,  when  we  hear  that  two 


58  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

thousand  men  were  occupied  for  three  years  removing  a  single 
stone  from  Elephantine  to  Sais  ;  that  the  canal  of  the  Red  Sea 
cost  the  lives  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  Egyptians  ;  and 
that  to  build  one  of  the  Pyramids  required  the  labor  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  men  for  twenty  years.  This  reckless 
disregard  for  the  people  so  impoverished  the  lower  classes,  chiefly 
by  confiscations,  that  subsistence  became  finally  so  difficult  that 
families  were  compelled  to  support  life  almost  exclusively  from 
the  fruit  of  date  trees. 

This  was  the  condition  of  the  most  civilized  portion  of  Egypt  ; 
but  when  we  describe  the  life  found  in  Central  Africa,  there  will 
be  found  influences  so  nearly  identical  that  we  must  conclude 
there  were  the  same  causes  operating  throughout  the  whole 
country,  to  keep  it  in  darkness  and  terror.  While  the  potentates 
of  Central  Africa  are  never  wealthy,  as  we  value  possessions, 
yet  they  hold  their  subjects  by  hooks  of  steel,  as  it  were,  and 
place  no  estimate  whatever  on  human  life,  using  it  only  as  it  may 
please  or  advantage  them.  Through  all  Africa,  therefore,  as 
well  as  in  Egypt,  there  is  seen  the  slave-mark,  the  curse  of  all 
uncivilized  nations. 

THE    RIVER   NILE. 

OF  all  rivers  which  traverse  the  habitable  portions  of  the 
earth,  the  Nile  is  pre-eminently  the  grandest ;  grand  not  alone 
because  it  flows  through  the  wild,  dark,  pathless  region,  nor 
because  of  its  long-hidden  source,  but  because  of  its  singular 
character  in  its  adaptation  to  the  sand-covered,  scorching  desert 
which  it  cleaves,  spreading  a  wondrous  fertility  over  the  otherwise 
barren  and  uninhabitable  waste,  fructifying  the  sands  and  estab- 
lishing a  seat  for  the  earliest  civilization.  Oh,  marvelous  Nile  ! 
Oh,  wonderful  Egypt !  That  great  country  in  which  the  infant 
of  industry  and  progress  was  cradled  ;  which  gave  to  science  its 
swaddling  clothes,  and  nursed  art  and  religion  into  strong  and 
imperishable  vitality,  has  not  only  been  sustained  by  the  Nile's 
gifts  of  prodigal  fertility,  but  was  created  by  the  alluvial  soil 
which  flowed  down  through  the  long  centuries,  and  deposited 
in  continual  accretions  to  the  delta.  Thus  has  Egypt  grown 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  59 

out  into  the  sea,  a  creature  of  that  wonder  of  wonders, 
the  great  Nile.  At  so  remote  a  period  that  history  cannot  even 
approximate,  Egypt  came  into  existence,  washed  down  from  hills 
and  mountains,  lagoons  and  lakes,  to  take  her  rank  as  mother  of 
the  civilized  world. 

«'  Egypt,"  as  Sir  Samuel  Baker  says,  "  was  not  only  created 
by  the  Nile,  but  the  very  existence  of  its  inhabitants  depended 
upon  the  annual  inundation  of  the  river.  Thus  all  that  related 
to  the  Nile  was  of  vital  importance  to  the  people ;  it  was  the 
hand  that  fed  them. 

"  Egypt,  depending  so  entirely  upon  the  river,  it  was  natural 
that  the  origin  of  those  mysterious  waters  should  have  absorbed 
the  attention  of  thinking  men.  It  was  unlike  all  other  rivers. 
In  July  and  August,  when  streams  in  all  portions  of  the  world 
are  at  their  lowest,  by  reason  of  the  summer  heat,  the  Nile  is  at 
its  flood  !  In  Egypt  there  is  no  rainfall — not  even  a  drop  of  dew 
in  those  parched  deserts  through  which,  for  860  miles  of  latitude, 
the  glorious  river  flowed  without  a  tributary.  Licked  up  by  the 
burning  sun,  and  gulped  by  the  exhausting  sand  of  Nubian 
deserts,  supporting  all  losses  by  evaporation  and  absorption,  the 
noble  flood  shed  its  annual  blessings  upon  Egypt.  An  anomaly 
among  rivers  ;  flooding  in  the  driest  season  ;  everlasting  in  sandy 
deserts  ;  where  was  its  hidden  origin?  where  were  the  sources  of 
the  Nile?  This  was,  from  the  earliest  period,  the  great  geo- 
graphical question  to  be  solved." 

MODERN  TRAVELS  THROUGH  AFRICA. 

STRANGE  as  it  appears,  it  is  none  the  less  true,  that  one  of  the 
most  accurate  maps  of  Africa  ever  published,  was  printed  in 
Ogilby's  book  over  two  hundred  years  ago,  not  only  showing  the 
true  source  of  the  Nile,  just  as  Stanley  found  it,  but  generally  all 
the  waterways  and  topography  of  the  entire  country  are  faithfully 
exhibited.  Vasquez  de  Gamma,  who  figures  so  conspicuously  in 
the  discoveries  of  North  America,  was  the  first  explorer  we  have 
any  authentic  history  of  who  circumnavigated  Africa,  and  incited 
a  national  desire  to  effect  a  thorough  exploration  of  its  interior, 
though  it  was  twenty  years  after  his  death  before  an  expedition 


60  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

suitably  equiped,  attemped  to  cross  the  country.  Since  that 
time  African  exploration  parties  have  been  very  numerous,  nearly 
every  nation  on  the  globe  contributing  adventurous  spirits  to 
battle  with  the  wild  animals  and  wilder  jungles  which  charac- 
terize its  interior,  in  pursuit  of  a  curiosity  which  every  person 
possesses  more  or  less. 

In  this  volume  I  shall  confine  myself  to  the  results  and  more 
exciting  incidents,  discoveries  and  adventures  of  the  great  modern 
explorers  of  Africa,  giving  prominence  to  those  whose  achieve- 
ments entitle  them  to  public  recognition. 


CAPT.  J.  H.  SPEKE'S  TRAVELS. 


THE  first  to  be  considered  is  Capt.  J.  H.  Speke,  of  the  Eng 
lish   army,  as  he   was  the  first  to  claim   the  discovery  of   th* 
source  of  the  Nile,  although  subsequent  explorations  have  shown 
that  he  discovered  only  one  of  the  principal  lakes  or  reservoirs 
that  feed  that  wonderful  river. 

Capt.  Speke  made  three  expeditions  into  the  heart  of  Africa, 
first  as  the  companion  of  the  celebrated  traveler,  Richard  Francia 
Burton,  during  which  they  discovered  lake  Tanganika.  On  his 
second  expedition,  which  he  undertook  alone,  Speke  discovered 
Victoria  Lake,  one  of  the  principal  reservoirs  from  which  the  Nile 
is  fed ,  and  which  for  some  years  was  supposed  to  be  the  real  source 
of  this  mysterious  river.  His  third  expedition  was  undertaken  in 
1860,  in  company  with  Capt.  J.  W.  Grant,  also  an  officer  in  the 
British  army,  and  who  had  previously  made  extensive  explora- 
tions in  Australia.  As  this  third  expedition  contains  the  most 
important  results  of  Capt.  Speke's  discoveries,  we  shall  confine 
ourselves  principally  to  it. 

The  explorers  were  aided  in  this  expedition  by  a  contribution 
of  $12,000  from  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  England,  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  61 

$15,000  granted  by  the  Cape  Parliament.  They  set  sail  on  an 
English  steamer  for  Zanzibar,  and  upon  nearing  that  place  they 
encountered  a  Spanish  slaver  which  was  just  leaving  the  African 
coast  with  544  starving  slaves  penned  up  in  the  deadly  atmos- 
phere of  the  ship's  hold,  where  the  dead  and  dying  were  lying  in 
ghastly  confusion.  The  slaver  was  captured  and  the  miserable 
black  wretches  returned  to  their  native  shores.  Directly  after 
this  event  Speke  and  his  companion  arrived  at  Zanzibar,  Avhere 
preparations  were  made,  and  on  October  2d,  with  two  hundred 
men,  they  departed  for  the  interior  of  Africa.  Capt.  Speke  thus 
describes  the  manner  of  taking  observations  and  making  up  the 
records  of  his  journey  : 

"  My  first  occupation  was  to  map  the  country.  This  is  done 
by  timing  the  rate  of  march  with  a  watch,  taking  compass-bear- 
ings along  the  road  or  on  any  conspicuous  marks — as,  for 
instance,  hills  off  it — and  by  noting  the  watershed — in  short,  all 
topographical  objects.  On  arrival  in  camp  every  day  came  the 
ascertaining,  by  boiling  a  thermometer,  of  the  altitude  of  the 
station  above  the  sea-level ;  of  the  latitude  of  the  station  by  the 
meridian  altitude  of  a  star  taken  with  a  sextant ;  and  of  the  com- 
pass variation  by  azimuth.  Occasionally  there  was  the  fixing  of 
certain  crucial  stations,  at  intervals  of  sixty  miles  or  so,  by  lunar 
observations,  or  distances  of  the  moon  either  from  the  sun  or 
from  certain  given  stars,  for  determining  the  longitude,  by 
which  the  original-timed  course  can  be  drawn  out  with  certainty 
on  the  map  by  proportion.  Should  a  date  be  lost,  you  can 
always  discover  it  by  taking  a  lunar  distance  and  comparing 
il  with  the  Nautical  Almanac,  by  noting  the  time  when  a  star 
passes  the  meridian  if  your  watch  is  right,  or  by  observing 
the  phases  of  the  moon,  or  her  rising  or  setting,  as  compared 
with  the  Nautical  Almanac.  The  rest  of  my  work,  besides 
sketching  and  keeping  a  diary,  which  was  the  most  troublesome 
of  all,  consisted  in  making  geological  and  zoological  collections. 
With  Captain  Grant  rested  the  botanical  collections  and  ther- 
mometrical  registers.  He  also  boiled  one  of  the  thermometers, 
kept  the  rain-guage.  and  undertook  the  photography  ;  but  after 


62  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

a  time  I  sent  the  instruments  back,  considering  tins  work 
too  severe  for  the  climate,  and  he  tried  instead,  sketching 
with  water-colors,  the  results  of  which  form  the  chief  part  of  the 
illustrations  in  my  book.  The  rest  of  our  day  went  in  break- 
fasting after  the  march  was  over — a  pipe,  to  prepare  us  for  rum- 
maging the  fields  and  villages  to  discover  their  contents  for 
scientific  purposes — dinner  close  to  sunset,  and  tea  and  pipe 
before  turning  in  at  night." 

FIRST  SIGHT  OF   HIPPOPOTAMI. 

THE  journey  was  without  special  incident  until  the  vicinity  of 
Mbume  was  reached,  when  they  parsed  an  immense  lagoon  in 
which  many  hippopotami  were  seen  sporting  very  near,  as  if 
inviting  attack.  There  were  also  numerous  traces  of  elephants, 
buffaloes,  rhinoceros  and  antelopes,  but  no  stoppage  was  made 
for  a  hunt. 

They  had  now  proceeded  far  enough  into  the  interior  to  be 
almost  constantly  beset  by  native  chiefs,  who  demanded  tribute 
for  the  privilege  of  crossing  their  respective  districts.  On  the 
24th  of  October  the  party  reached  the  Ugogo  plateau,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  which  are  a  fierce,  repulsive  and  dangerous  people. 
The  men,  indeed,  are  never  seen  without  their  usual  arms — the 
spear,  the  shield,  and  the  assegai.  They  live  in  flat-topped, 
square,  tembe  villages,  wherever  springs  of  water  are  found, 
keep  cattle  in  plenty,  and  farm  enough  generally  to  supply  not 
only  their  own  wants,  but  those  of  the  thousands  who  annually 
pass  in  caravans.  They  are  extremely  fond  of  ornaments,  the 
most  common  of  \vhich  is  an  ugly  tube  of  the  gourd  thrust 
through  the  lower  lobe  of  the  ear.  Their  color  is  a  soft  ruddy 
brown,  with  a  slight  infusion  of  black,  not  unlike  that  of  a  rich 
plum.  Impulsive  by  nature,  and  exceedingly  avaricious,  they 
pester  travelers  beyond  all  conception  by  thronging  the  road, 
jeering,  quizzing,  and  pointing  at  them  ;  and  in  camp,  by  intru- 
sively forcing  their  way  into  the  midst  of  the  kit,  and  even  into 
the  stranger's  tentt 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


A    RHINOCEROS    HUNT. 


63 


UPON  arriving  on  the  farthest  border  of  Ugogo,  at  a  settlement 
called  Kanyenye,  eight  of  the  porters  deserted,  taking  with 
them  as  many  mules  laden  with  stores,  which  compelled  a  day's 
stoppage.  While  here,  one  of  the  natives,  upon  noticing  fire- 
arms among  the  party,  told  Capt.  Speke  that  in  the  immediate 
locality  were  not  a  few  two-horned  rhinoceros,  which  every  night 
visited  the  bitter  pools  near  by  to  bathe.  This  information 
greatly  delighted  Speke  and  Grant,  who  directly  made  prepara- 


THE  TWO-HORNED   RHINORCEROS. 

tions  to  indulge  their  bent  for  a  hunt,  while  others  of  the  party 
were  sent  in  search  of  the  deserters  and  stolen  mules. 

At  ten  o'clock,  an  hour  before  the  moon  would  rise,  they  set 
out  for  the  lagoons,  accompanied  by  a  guide  and  two  sheikh 
boys  carrying  rifles.  Reaching  the  foot-hills,  the  party  hid 
themselves  until  midnight  to  await  the  rising  moon  and  their 
dangerous  game.  They  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  presently 
a  gigantic  beast  loomed  up  against  the  horizon  and  came  on  to- 


64  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ward  a  large  pool  of  water.  Speke  attached  a  bit  of  white  paper 
to  the  sight  of  his  rifle  and  crawled  under  cover  of  the  bank 
until  within  eighty  yards  of  the  animal.  It  chanced  that  the  shot 
struck  in  a  vital  spot,  penetrating  the  beast's  heart,  so  that  it 
died  with  but  few  struggles.  Captain  Speke,  being  anxious  to 
increase  his  store  of  meat,  then  retired  to  his  former  position 
and  again  vyaited.  After  two  hours  had  elapsed  two  more  rhi- 
noceros approached  in  the  same  stealthy,  fidgety  way  as  the  first 
one.  They  came  even  closer  than  the  first,  but  the  moon  having 
passed  beyond  their  meridian,  he  could  not  obtain  so  clear  a 
mark.  Still  they  were  big  marks,  and  Speke  determined  on 
doing  his  best  before  they  had  time  to  wind  him  ;  so,  stepping 
out,  with  the  sheikh's  boys  behind,  carrying  the  second  rifle  to 
meet  all  emergencies,  he  planted  a  ball  in  the  larger  one,  and 
brought  him  round  with  a  roar  and  whooh-whooh,  exactly  to  the 
best  position  that  one  could  wish  for  receiving  a  second  shot ; 
but,  alas  !  on  turning  sharply  round  for  the  spare  rifle,  Speke 
had  the  mortification  to  see  that  both  the  black  boys  had  made 
off,  and  were  scrambling  like  monkeys  up  a  tree.  At  the  same 
time  the  rhinoceros,  fortunately,  on  second  consideration, 
turned  to  the  right-about  and  shunned  away,  leaving,  as  is 
usually  the  case  when  conical  bullets  are  used,  no  traces  of 
blood. 

Thus  ended  the  night's  work.  The  party  now  went  home  by 
dawn  to  apprise  all  the  porters  that  they  had  flesh  in  store  for 
them,  when  the  two  boys  who  had  so  shamelessly  deserted, 
instead  of  hiding  their  heads,  described  all  the  night's  scenes 
with  such  capital  mimicry  as  set  the  whole  camp  in  a  roar. 
They  had  all  now  to  hurry  back  to  the  carcass  before  the  native 
Wagogo  could  find  it ;  but,  though  this  precaution  was  quickly 
taken,  still,  before  the  tough  skin  of  the  beast  could  be  cut 
through,  the  Wagogo  began  assembling  like  vultures,  and  fighting 
with  Speke's  men.  A  more  savage,  filthy,  disgusting,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  grotesque  scene  than  that  which  followed  can 
not  be  conceived.  All  fell  to  work,  armed  with  swords,  spears, 
knives  and  hatchets,  cutting  and  slashing,  thumping  and  bawl- 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


65 


ing,  fighting  and  tearing,  tumbling  and  wrestling  up  to  their 
knees  in  filth  and  blood  in  the  middle  of  the  carcass.  "When 
a  tempting  morsel  fell  to  the  possession  of  any  one,  a  stronger 
neighbor  would  seize  and  bear  off  the  prize  in  triumph.  All 
right  was  now  a  matter  of  pure  might,  and  lucky  it  was  that  it 
did  not  end  in  a  fight  between  the  opposing  parties.  The  natives 
might  be  afterward  seen,  one  by  one,  covered  with  blood,  scam- 
pering home  each  with  his  spoil — a  piece  of  tripe,  or  liver, 
or  lights,  or  whatever  else  it  might  have  been  his  fortune  to  get 
off  with. 


CLOSE  QUARTERS. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  through  sickness  and  desertion, 
Speke's  followers  were  so  much  reduced  that  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  secure  more  recruits,  for  which  purpose  he  halted 
three  days  and  sent  to  Sheikh  Said  for  several  men.  That  the 
time  of  waiting  might  not  hang  heavily  on  his  hands,  he  went 
upon  another  hunt.  Shortly  after  starting  out  he  came  suddenly 
upon  a  two-horned  rhinoceros  which  stood  quietly  feeding  off  a 
bush.  He  shot  the  beast  at  a  distance  not  exceeding  five  paces. 
Proceeding  farther,  he  soon  came  upon  a  herd  of  buffalos  and 
secured  four  shots  before  the  animals  discovered  him  or  from 
whence  the  shots  had  come.  They  then  galloped  off  with  Speke 


66 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


after  them,  and  he  succeeded  in  killing  four  or  five  and  wounding 
several,  among  the  latter  a  large  bull,  full  of  fight  and  sullen- 
ness  ;  this  one,  struck  in  the  flank,  charged  down  upon  him  and 
his  boy,  who  carried  the  rifles ;  the  boy,  nimble  as  a  monkey, 
swung  himself  from  a  friendly  bough  just  as  the  bull  swept  under 
him  like  a  cyclone,  and  made  directly  for  Speke,  who  had  but  a 
single  gun  left.  Happily  this  was  enough,  for  the  bullet  was  so 
well  directed  that  it  broke  the  infuriated  beast's  neck.  Speke 
had  barely  escaped  from  one  bull  before  another,  that  bad  also 
been  wounded,  charged  at  him,  giving  only  sufficient  time  for 


A  LUCKY  SHOT. 

him  to  pick  up  another  gun  that  had  been  dropped  by  the  nimble 
boy.  As  the  bull  came  rapidly  on,  Speke  jumped  behind  a  small 
knoll  and  tired,  but  the  shot  did  not  take  effect ;  most  fortu- 
nately, however,  the  smoke  from  the  discharge  hung  so  heavy 
about  the  bull's  head  that  he  could  not  see  his  assailant,  and 
after  fighting  it  awhile  he  bolted  off  into  the  woods,  to  the 
intense  delight  of  the  now  defenseless  hunter. 

At  the  end  of  five  days  seventy  porters  were  secured,  to  whom 
were  given  sixteen  pieces  of  cloth  each,  in  advance,  for  their 
services  as  carriers.  Two  of  the  deserters  were  also  captured, 
and  having  received  fifty  lashes  each  for  their  offense,  were  again 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  67 

placed  in  service.  While  waiting  for  the  Sheikh  to  return,  how- 
ever, some  of  the  villagers  stole  several  loads  of  beads,  for  which 
Speke  held  the  chief  responsible.  After  a  long  and  heated  argu- 
ment, fifteen  cows  were  given  as  a  compensation  for  the  loss, 
whereupon  the  expedition  started  forward  again  and  did  not  halt, 
except  at  night,  until  Unyanyembe  was  reached,  which  is  the 
most  considerable  place  within  the  rich  district  of  the  Land  of 
the  Moon. 

Up  to  November  23d  the  losses  sustained  by  the  expedition 
were  as  follows :  One  Hottentot  dead  and  five  returned  ;  one 
freeman  sent  back  with  the  Hottentots,  and  one  flogged  and 
turned  off;  twenty-five  of  Sultan  Majid's  gardeners  deserted; 
ninety-eight  of  the  original  Wanyamuezi  porters  deserted  ;  twelve 
mules  and  three  donkeys  dead.  Besides  which,  more  than  half 
of  the  property  had  been  stolen  ;  while  the  traveling  expenses 
had  been  unprecedented,  in  consequence  of  the  severity  of  the 
famine  throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  march. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BETWEEN   TWO  FIRES. 

AFTER  leaving  the  Land  of  the  Moon,  Speke  encountered 
many  serious  difficulties,  which  crippled  his  force  materially  and 
threatened  him  with  disaster.  The  country  in  which  he  was  now 
traveling  was  particularly  precarious  on  account  of  a  war  then 
waging  between  the  Arabs  and  a  deposed  native  chief,  named 
Manua  Sera,  who  proved  himself  a  bitter  antagonist,  full  of 
strategy  and  the  daring  of  a  guerilla.  This  chief  paid  a  visit  to 
the  explorer,  and  after  detailing  the  wrongs  which  had  been  done 
him,  begged  Speke  to  join  him  against  the  Arabs.  To  have  de- 
clined this  request  abruptly  might  have  imperiled  his  own  safety, 
so  Speke  was  compelled  to  resort  to  strategy  to  avoid  serious 
trouble.  While  deferring  his  answer,  the  Arabs,  in  pursuit  of 
Manua  Sera,  reached  the  country  and  were  soon  in  communication 


68  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

with  Speke,  whom  they  besought  to  join  them  in  expelling  or 
destroying  the  guerrilla  chief.  Speke  was  therefore  put  to  it 
again,  for  the  interior  tribes  generally  sympathized  with  Manua 
Sera,  and  had  the  English  explorer  combined  with  the  Arabs 
he  would  have  certainly  met  with  disaster. 

After  passing  Masange  and  Zimbili,  Speke  put  up  a  night  in 
the  village  of  Iviri,  on  the  northern  border  of  Unyanyembe,  and 
found  several  officers  there,  sent  by  Mkisiwa,  to  enforce  a  levy 
of  soldiers  to  take  the  field  with  the  Arabs  at  Kaze  against 

O 

Manua  Sera;  to  effect  which  they  walked  about  ringing  bells, 
and  bawling  out  that  if  a  certain  percentage  of  all  the  inhabitants 
did  not  muster,  the  village  chief  would  be  seized  and  theirplan- 
tations  confiscated.  Speke's  men  all  mutinied  here  for  increase 
of  ration  allowances.  To  find  themselves  food  with,  he  had 
given  them  all  one  necklace  of  beads  each  per  diem  since  leaving 
Kaze,  in  lieu  of  cloth,  which  hitherto  had  been  served  out  for 
that  purpose.  It  was  a  very  liberal  allowance,  because  the 
Arabs  never  gave  more  than  one  necklace  to  every  three  men, 
and  that,  too,  of  inferior  quality  to  what  Speke  served.  He 
brought  them  to  at  last  by  starvation,  and  then  went  on.  Dip- 
ping down  into  a  valley  between  two  clusters  of  granitic  hills, 
beautifully  clothed  with  trees  and  grass,  studded  here  and  there 
with  rich  plantations,  they  entered  the  district  of  Usagari,  and 
on  the  second  day  forded  the  Goinbe  Nullah  again — in  its  upper 
course,  called  Kuale.  Here  Capt.  Speke  met  with  a  chief  whose 
wife  was  an  old  friend,  formerly  a  waiting-maid  at  Ungugu, 
whom  he  had  met  on  previous  voyages.  Her  husband,  the 
chief,  was  then  absent,  engaged  in  war  with  a  neighbor,  so 
the  queen  gave  Speke  such  assistance  as  enabled  him  to  avoid 
joining  either  the  Arabs  or  Manua  Sera,  without  inciting  their 
hostility. 

On  Christmas  day  the  expedition  halted  to  await  the  arrival  of 
three  hundred  porters  that  had  been  sent  for  by  a  chief  named 
Musa,  who  had  accompanied  Speke  for  several  weeks,  giving 
much  valuable  service  as  guide  and  interpreter.  The  expedition 
did  not  move  again  until  January  2d,  the  interim  being  employed 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


70  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

by  Speke  and  Grant  in  collecting  specimens,  stuffing  birds  and 
animals,  and  making  sketches.  While  thus  employed,  they  came 
upon  a  poor  slave,  owned  by  a  chief  named  Sirboko,  who  was 
chained  up  in  a  most  merciless  manner.  The  pitiful-appearing 
fellow  cried  out  to  Speke  : 

"Hai  Bana  wangi,  Bana  wangi  (Oh,  my  lord,  my  lord),  take 
pity  on  me  !  When  I  was  a  free  man  I  saw  you  at  Uvira,  on  the 
Tanganyika  Lake,  when  you  were  there  ;  but  since  then  the 
Watuta,  in  a  fight  at  Ujiji,  speared  me  all  over  and  left  me  for 
dead,  when  I  was  seized  by  the  people,  sold  to  the  Arabs,  and 
have  been  in  chains  ever  since.  Oh,  I  say,  Bana  wangi,  if  you 
would  only  liberate  me  I  would  never  run  away,  but  would  serve 
you  faithfully  all  my  life."  This  touching  appeal  was  too  strong 
to  be  withstood}  so  Speke  called  up  Sirboko,  and  told  him  if  he 
would  liberate  this  one  man  he  should  be  no  loser;  and  the 
release  was  effected.  He  was  then  christened  Farhan  (Joy), 
and  was  enrolled  with  the  rest  of  the  freedmen.  Inquiry  was 
then  made  if  it  were  true  the  Wabembe  were  cannibals,  and  also 
circumcised.  In  one  of  the  slaves  the  latter  statement  was  easily 
confirmed.  Speke  was  assured  that  the  slave  was  a  cannibal  ; 
for  the  whole  tribe  of  Wabembe,  when  they  cannot  get  human 
flesh  otherwise,  give  a  goat  to  their  neighbors  for  a  sick  or  dying 
child,  regarding  such  flesh  as  the  best  of  all.  No  other  cannibals, 
however,  were  known  of  ;  but  the  Massai  and  their  cognates,  the 
Wahumba,  Wataturu,  Wakasange,  Wanyaramba,  and  even  the 
Wagogo  and  Wakimbu,  circumcise. 

THE    KING    OF    KARAGUE    AND    HIS    FAT    WIFE. 

SUCH  slow  progress  had  been  made,  owing  to  war,  desertions^ 
oppositions  from  chiefs,  etc.,  that  it  was  not  until  the  latter  part 
of  October — more  than  one  year  after  starting — that  Capt.  Speke 
reached  the  Karague  country.  Here  he  found  a  fine  stretch  of 
elevated  lands  which  are  drained  by  the  Kitangule  River  directly 
into  the  Victoria  lake.  It  was  here,  also,  that  he  met  Rumanika, 
the  king,  and  Nnunji,  his  brother,  a  famous  doctor.  Both 
these  men  had  most  regular  features,  denoting  the  best  blood  of 
Abyssinia.  Speke  paid  a  visit  to  the  king,  and  was  received  in 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  71 

a  becoming  manner ;  his  surprise  was  great  to  hear  him 
inquire  so  intelligently  about  people  and  governments  in  other 
lands,  and  when  he  asked  his  visitor  to  take  two  of  the  princes 
with  him  to  England,  that  they  might  become  educated,  and 
return  to  tell  him  all  about  the  world,  his  admiration  was  greatly 
increased.  As  to  the  domestic  character  and  tastes  of  Rumanika, 
Capt.  Speke  writes: 

"  In  the  afternoon,  as  I  had  heard  from  Musa  that  the  wives 
of  the  king  and  princes  were  fattened  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
could  not  stand  upright,  I  paid  my  respects  to  Wazezeru,  the 
king's  eldest  brother — who,  having  been  born  before  his  father 
ascended  the  throne,  did  not  come  in  the  line  of  succession — with 
the  hope  of  being  able  to  see  for  myself  the  truth  of  the  story. 
There  was  no  mistake  about  it.  On  entering  the  hut,  I  found 
the  old  man  and  his  chief  wife  sitting  side  by  side  on  a  bench  of 
earth  strewed  over  with  grass,  and  partitioned  like  stalls  for 
sleeping  apartments,  while  in  front  of  them  were  placed  numer- 
ous wooden  pots  of  milk,  and,  hanging  from  the  poles  that  sup- 
ported the  bee-hive  shaped  hut,  a  large  collection  of  bows  six 
feet  in  length,  while  below  them  were  tied  an  even  larger  col- 
lection of  spears,  intermixed  with  a  goodly  assortment  of  heavy- 
handled  assegais.  I  was  struck  with  no  small  surprise  at  the 
way  he  received  me,  as  well  as  with  the  extraordinary  dimensions, 
yet  pleasing  beauty,  of  the  immoderately  fat  fair  one,  his  wife. 
She  could  not  rise  ;  and  so  large  were  her  arms  that  between  the 
joints  the  flesh  hung  down  like  large,  loose-stuffed  puddings. 
Then  in  came  their  children,  all  models  of  the  Abyssinian  type 
of  beauty,  and  as  polite  in  their  manners  as  thorough-bred  gen- 
tlemen. They  had  heard  of  my  picture-books  from  the  king, 
and  all  wished  to  see  them  ;  which  they  no  sooner  did,  to  their 
infinite  delight,  especially  when  they  recognized  any  of  the 
animals,  than  the  subject  was  turned  by  my  inquiring  what  they 
did  with  so  many  milk-pots.  This  was  easily  explained  by 
Wazezeru  himself,  who,  pointing  to  his  wife,  said,  *  This  is  all 
the  product  of  those  pots ;  from  early  youth  upward  we  keep 
these  pots  to  their  mouths,  as  it  is  the  fashion  at  court  to  have 
very  fat  wives.' " 


72  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Before  leaving  the  Karague  country,  Capt.  Speke  sent  the 
king's  brother  a  blanket  and  seventy-five  blue  egg  beads  as  a 
present,  which  were  received  with  many  signs  of  pleasure.  The 
king  then,  ever  attentive  to  his  guests,  sent  his  royal  musicians 
to  play  for  Speke  and  Grant.  The  men  composing  the  band 
were  a  mixture  of  Waganda  and  Wanyambo,  who  played  on  reed 


THE  ROYAL   MUSICIANS. 

instruments  made  telescope  fashion,  marking  time  by  hand- 
drums.  At  first  they  marched  up  and  down,  playing  tunes 
exactly  like  the  regimental  bands  of  the  Turks,  and  then  com- 
menced dancing  a  species  of  "  hornpipe,"  blowing  furiously  all 
the  while. 

DECIDING   THE    RIGHT  TO  RULE    BY   MAGIC. 

SPEKE  gave  the  king  a  rifle,  together  with  some  ammunition, 
whereat  the  royal  savage  was  so  intensely  delighted  that  he 
insisted  upon  explaining  how  he  was  the  rightful  successor  to  the 
throne,  being  moved  thereto  by  the  fact  that  his  brother,  Rogero, 
was  contesting  the  succession  by  war  then.  Rumanika,  the  king, 
thus  explained  :  When  Dogara,  my  father,  died,  and  myself, 
Nnanaji  and  Rogero  were  the  only  three  sons  left  in  line  of  suc- 
cession to  the  crown,  a  small  mystic  drum  of  diminutive  size  was 
placed  before  them  by  the  officers  of  state.  It  was  only  a 
feather's  weight  in  reality,  but,  being  loaded  with  charms, 
became  so  heavy  to  those  who  were  not  entitled  to  the  crown, 


THI     WORLD'S   WONDEES.  73 

that  none  of  them  coul  1  lift  it.  Now,  of  all  the  three  brothers, 
he,  Bumanika,  al<  ne  could  raise  it  from  the  ground  ;  and  while 
his  brothers  labored  h:  rd  in  a  vain  attempt  to  move  it,  he  with 
his  little  finger  hell  it  i  p  without  exertion. 

This  disclosure  *ed  tc  inquiries  concerning  a  king's  death  and 
burial,  when  the  ling  i  elated  that  according  to  the  customs  of 
the  country,  when  a  kh  g  died  his  body  was  sewed  up  in  a  cow- 
skin  and  placed  in  a  bo  it  floating  in  the  adjacent  lake,  where  it 
remained  for  three  days  when  decomposition  set  in  and  maggots 
were  engendered,  three  of  which  were  taken  from  the  putrid 
body  and  carried  into  the  palace;  after  remaining  there  three 
days  one  of  the  n  aggo  s  was  transformed  into  a  lion,  another 
into  a  leopard,  an»'.  the  third  into  a  stick.  After  this  the  body 
of  the  dead  king  was  taken  out  of  the  boat  and  carried  to  a 
sacred  hill,  where  it  was  deposited  on  the  ground  and  a  large  hut 
built  over  it ;  in  this  hut  were  placed  five  maidens  and  fifty  cows 
to  provide  entertainment  and  food  for  the  royal  spirit.  The 
doorway  to  the  hut  was  f  hen  so  strongly  closed  that  the  maidens 
and  cows  perished. 

Rumanika  continued  to  explain  his  greatness  and  that  of  his 
ancestors  by  declaring  tl  at  his  grandfather  was  a  most  wonder- 
ful man;  indeed,  Karag'ie  was  blessed  with  more  supernatural 
agencies  than  any  other  country.  Rohinda  the  Sixth,  who  was 
his  grandfather,  nuinbere  3  so  many  years  that  people  thought  he 
never  would  die  ;  and  he  oven  became  so  concerned  himself  about 
it,  reflecting  that  his  son  Dagara  would  never  enjoy  the  benefit 
of  his  position  as  successor  to  the  crown  of  Karague,  that  he 
took  some  magic  powde/s  and  charmed  away  his  life.  His 
remains  were  then  taken  to  Moga-Namirinzi,  in  the  same  manner 
as  were  those  of  Dagara  ;  but,  as  an  improvement  on  the  maggot 
story,  a  young  lion  emerged  from  the  heart  of  the  corpse  and 
kept  guard  over  the  hill,  from  whom  other  lions  came  into  exist- 
ence, until  the  whole  place  became  infested  by  them,  and  has  since 
made  Karague  a  power  and  dread  to  all  other  nations  ;  for  these 
lions  became  subject  to  the  will  of  Dagara,  who,  when  attacked 
by  the  countries  to  the  northward,  instead  of  assembling  an  army 


74  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

of  men,  assembled  his  lion  force,  and  so  swept  all  before  him. 

Another  test  was  then  advanced  at  the  instigation  of  K'yengo, 
who  thought  Rumanika  not  quite  impressive  enough  of  his  right 
to  the  throne  ,  and  this  was,  that  each  heir  in  succession,  even 
after  the  drum  dodge,  was  required  to  sit  on  the  ground  in  a 
certain  place  of  the  country,  where,  if  he  had  courage  to  plant 
himself,  the  land  would  gradually  rise  up,  telescope  fashion,  until 
it  reached  to  the  skies,  when,  if  the  aspirant  was  considered  by 
the  spirits  the  proper  person  to  inherit  Karague,  he  vrould  grad- 
ually be  lowered  again  without  any  harm  happening  ;  but  other- 
wise, the  elastic  hill  would  suddenly  collapse,  and  he  would  be 
dashed  to  pieces.  Now,  Rumanika,  by  his  own  confession,  had 
gone  through  this  ordeal  with  marked  success ;  so  Speke  asked 
him  if  he  found  the  atmosphere  cold  when  so  far  up  aloft,  and  as 
he  said  he  did  so,  Speke,  laughing  at  the  quaintness  of  the  ques- 
tion, told  him  that  he  saw  he  had  learned  a  good  practical  lesson 
on  the  structure  of  the  universe,  which  he  wished  he  would  explain 
to  him.  In  a  state  of  perplexity,  K'yengo  and  the  rest,  on  seeing 
him  laugh,  thought  something  was  wrong ;  and  turning  about, 
they  thought  again,  and  said,  "No,  it  must  have  been  hot, 
because  the  higher  one  ascended  the  nearer  he  got  to  the  sun." 

This  led  on  to  one  argument  after  another,  on  geology,  geog- 
raphy, and  all  the  natural  sciences,  and  ended  by  Rumanika 
showing  Speke  an  iron  much  the  shape  and  size  of  a  carrot. 
This,  he  said,  was  found  by  one  of  his  villagers  while  tilling  the 
ground,  buried  some  way  down  below  the  surface  ;  but,  dig  as 
he  would,  he  could  not  remove  it,  and  therefore  called  some  more 
men  to  his  help.  Still,  the  whole  of  them  united  could  not  lift 
the  iron,  which  induced  them,  considering  there  must  be  some 
magic  in  it,  to  inform  the  king.  "Now,"  says  Rumanika,  "I 
no  sooner  went  there  and  saw  the  iron,  than,  without  the  smallest 
exertion,  I  uplifted  the  iron,  and  brought  it  here  as  you  see  it. 
What  can  such  a  sign  mean?"  "Of  course  that  you  are  the 
rightful  king,"  said  his  flatterers.  "Then,"  said  Rumanika,  in 
exuberant  spirits,  "  during  Dagara's  time,  as  the  king  was  sitting 
with  many  other  men  outside  his  hut,  a  fearful  storm  of  thunder 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  75 

and  lightning  arose,  and  a  thunderbolt  struck  the  ground  in  the 
midst  of  them,  which  dispersed  all  the  men  but  Dagara,  who 
calmly  took  up  the  thunderbolt  and  placed  it  in  the  palace.  I, 
however,  no  sooner  came  into  possession,  and  Rogero  began  to 
contend  with  me,  than  the  thunderbolt  vanished.  How  would 
you  account  for  this?"  The  flatterers  said,  "  It  is  clear  as  pos- 
sible ;  God  gave  the  thunderbolt  to  Dagara  as  a  sign  he  was 
pleased  with  him  and  his  rule  ;  but  when  he  found  two  brothers 
contending,  he  withdrew  it  to  show  their  conduct  was  wicked." 

ANOTHER  RHINOCEROS  HUNT. 

ON  the  9th  of  December,  before  leaving  the  Karague  country, 
Capt.  Speke,  learning  that  the  immediate  district  in  which  he 
was  encamped  abounded  with  rhinoceros,  took  two  attendants 
and  posted  to  the  foot-hills  about  Little  Windermere  lake. 
Taking  up  a  position  in  a  thicket  of  acacia  shrubs,  he  sent  the 
men  out  to  beat  the  brush  toward  him.  In  a  few  minutes  a 
large  male  rhinoceros  came  lumbering  through  the  brush  until  he 
was  within  a  few  yards  of  the  concealed  hunter,  who  delivered  a 
broadside  from  his  Blissett  rifle,  which  sent  the  huge  beast  off  in 
a  trot  toward  the  beaters  ;  but  after  going  a  short  distance  it  fell 
and  was  quickly  disposed  of  by  another  shot.  The  natives  then 
came  running  up  to  Speke,  surprised  beyond  measure  at  what 
they  saw,  for  they  did  not  believe  that  a  rhinoceros  could  be 
killed  by  shooting  with  a  rifle.  Among  those  who  assembled  to 
view  the  dead  beast  was  a  native  who  exhibited  frightful  scars 
on  his  abdomen  and  shoulder,  which  he  declared  were  the  result 
of  a  wound  he  had  received  by  a  rhinoceros  thrusting  its  horn 
through  his  body. 

Just  at  this  time  a  cry  went  up  from  several  beaters  that 
another  rhinoceros  was  near,  concealed  in  a  thicket.  Speke  at 
once  set  off  to  find  it.  He  traveled  as  rapidly  as  possible  along 
a  path  made  by  the  animals,  with  his  two  gun-bearers  directly  in 
the  rear.  Suddenly  he  was  confronted  by  a  full  grown  female, 
with  her  young  one  close  behind,  which  came  "  whoof-whoofing" 
toward  him.  To  escape  and  shoot  at  the  same  time,  he  was 
compelled  to  push  to  one  side  in  the  prickly  acacias,  and  as 


76 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEBS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  77 

the  !iuge  beast  approached,  he  fired  at  her  head  ;  the  bullet  only 
served  to  divert  her  course,  for  she  received  no  perceptible  injury. 
She  broke  away  from  the  brush  into  an  open,  with  Speke  follow- 
ing. He  fired  again,  but  the  animal  kept  on  and  took  to  the 
hills,  crossed  over  a  spur  and  entered  another  thicket.  The 
hunter  kept  up  the  pursuit,  but  as  he  carae  to  the  head  of  a  glen 
he  was  greatly  astonished  to  find  three  more  rhinoceros,  all  of 
which  charged  towards  him.  Fortunately  the  gun-bearers  were 
at  his  heels,  and  he  was  thus  enabled  to  shoot  all  three  of  the 
brutes ;  one  of  them  dropped  dead,  but  the  other  two  kept  on 
down  the  glen,  though  one  had  its  leg  broken.  The  wounded  one 
was  given  over  to  the  natives,  but  so  savage  were  its  charges  that 
another  shot  was  necessary  before  the  negroes  could  dispatch  it 
with  their  spears  and  arrows. 

On  the  following  day  Speke  called  on  the  king  and  had  the  head 
of  the  largest  rhinoceros  brought  into  court.  Rumanika,  in  his 
surprise,  said : 

"  Well,  this  must  have  been  done  with  something  more  potent 
than  powder,  for  neither  the  Arabs  nor  Nnanaji,  although  they 
talk  of  their  shooting  powers,  could  have  accomplished  such  a 
great  feat  as  this.  It  is  no  wonder  the  English  are  the  greatest 
men  in  the  world." 

Neither  the  Wanyambo  nor  the  Wahuma  would  eat  the  rhinoc- 
eros, so  Speke  was  not  sorry  to  find  all  the  Wanyamuezi  porters 
of  the  Arabs  at  Kufro,  on  hearing  of  the  sport,  come  over  and 
carry  away  the  flesh.  They  passed  by  the  camp  half  borne 
down  with  their  burdens  of  sliced  flesh,  suspended  from  poles 
which  they  carried  on  their  shoulders  ;  but  the  following  day 
Speke  was  disgusted  upon  hearing  that  their  masters  had  for- 
bidden their  eating  "  the  carrion,"  as  the  throats  of  the  animals 
had  not  been  cut. 

PIGMIES  AND  GIANTS. 

IN  confirmation  of  Musa's  old  stories,  the  king  told  Speke  that 
in  Ruanda,  a  near  country,  there  existed  pigmies  who  lived  in 
trees,  but  occasionally  came  down  at  night,  and  listening  at  the 
hut  doors  of  the  men,  would  wait  until  they  heard  the  name  of 


78  THE  WORLD'S   WONDERS. 

one  of  its  inmates,  when  they  would  call  him  out,  and  firing  an 
arrow  into  his  heart,  disappear  again  in  the  same  way  as  they 
came.  But,  more  formidable  even  than  these  little  men,  there 
were  monsters  who  could  not  converse  with  men,  and  never 
showed  themselves  unless  they  saw  women  pass  by  ;  then,  in 
voluptuous  excitement,  they  squeezed  them  to  death. 

After  a  long  and  amusing  conversation  with  the  king  in  the 
morning,  Speke  called  on  one  of  his  sisters-in-law,  married  to  an 
elder  brother  who  was  born  before  Dagara  ascended  the  throne. 
She  was  another  of  those  wonders  of  obesity,  unable  to  stand 
excepting  on  all  fours.  He  was  eager  to  obtain  a  good  view  of 
her,  and  actually  to  measure  her,  and  induced  her  to  give  him 
facilities  for  doing  so  by  offering  in  return  to  show  her  a  bit  of 
his  naked  legs  and  arms.  The  bait  took  as  he  wished  it,  and 
after  getting  her  to  sidle  and  wriggle  into  the  middle  of  the  hut, 
he  took  her  dimensions,  which  were  as  follows  :  Round  the  arm, 
1  foot  4  inches ;  chest  52  inches ;  thigh  31  inches ;  calf  20 
inches  ;  height  5  feet  8  inches.  All  of  these  are  exact  except  the 
height,  which  Speke  believed  he  could  have  obtained  more  ac- 
curately if  he  could  have  had  her  laid  on  the  floor.  Not  knowing 
what  difficulties  he  should  have  to  contend  with  in  such  a  piece  of 
engineering,  he  tried  to  get  her  height  by  raising  her  up.  This, 
after  infinite  exertions,  was  accomplished,  when  she  sank  down 
again,  fainting,  for  her  blood  had  rushed  into  her  head.  Mean- 
while, the  daughter,  a  lass  of  sixteen,  sat  stark-naked  before 
them,  sucking  at  a  milk-pot,  on  which  the  father  kept  her  at 
work  by  holding  a  rod  in  his  hand  ;  for,  as  fattening  is  the  first 
duty  of  fashionable  female  life,  it  must  be  duly  enforced  by  the 
rod  if  necessary.  Speke  got  up  a  bit  of  flirtation  with  missy, 
and  induced  her  to  rise  and  shake  hands  with  him.  Her  features 
were  lovely,  but  her  body  was  as  round  as  a  ball. 

SAVAGE  ROYALTY  IN  A  SAVAGE  LAND. 

THE  next  stoppage  was  in  the  land  of  the  Wahuma,  the  most 
interesting  district  of  Africa,  and  one  which  has  an  extended 
importance  now  on  account  of  the  commercial  aid  rendered 
England  and  France  by  its  present  King,  Mtese.  The  country 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  79 

was  formerly  a  portion  of  Karague,  but  became  separated  by 
reason  of  a  contention  between  two  brothers  who  both  claimed 
the  rulership,  but  who  were  satisfied  to  separate  the  district  so 
that  each  might  become  a  king.  The  ceremonies  connected  with 
the  royal  household  of  Wahuma,  and  also  the  officials  and  their 
duties,  are  so  exceedingly  strange  that  some  of  them  must  be 
described :  The  various  offices  held,  without  regard  for  prece- 
dence, for  I  do  not  know  the  order  of  rank,  are :  The  lima,  a 
woman  whose  good  fortune  it  was  to  cut  the  umbilical  cord  at 
the  king's  birth;  the  king's  barber;  admiral  of  the  fleet — of 
canoes  ;  guardian  of  the  king's  sisters  ;  first  and  second-class 
executioners  ;  commissioner  in  charge  of  the  tombs  ;  the  brewer  ; 
the  cook  ;  commander  of  the  guards  ;  seizer  of  refractory  per- 
sons •  the  drummers  ;  the  pea-gourd  rattlers  ;  the  flute  players  ; 
clarionet  players ;  also  players  on  wooden  harmonicans  and  lap 
harps,  and,  lastly,  men  who  whistle  on  their  fingers, — for  music 
is  more  than  one-half  the  amusement  of  the  court.  Uganda  is 
the  palace  seat  of  the  Wahuma  country,  and  everybody  who  lives 
there  is  expected  to  keep  spears,  shields  and  dogs,  the  Uganda 
arms  and  cognizance,  while  the  wakungu  (officers)  are  entitled 
to  drums.  There  is  also  a  Neptune  Mgussa,  or  spirit,  who  lives 
in  the  depths  of  the  lake,  communicates  through  the  medium  of 
his  temporal  mkungo,  and  guides  to  a  certain  extent  the  naval' 
destiny  of  the  king. 

It  is  the  duty  of  all  officers,  generally  speaking,  to  attend  at 
court  as  constantly  as  possible;  should  they  fail,  they  forfeit 
their  lands,  wives,  and  all  belongings.  These  will  be  seized  and 
given  to  others  more  worthy  of  them,  as  it  is  presumed  that 
either  insolence  or  disaffection  can  be  the  only  motives  which 
would  induce  any  person  to  absent  himself  for  any  length  of  time 
from  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  sovereign.  Tidiness  in  dress  is 
imperatively  necessary,  and  for  any  neglect  of  this  rule  the  head 
may  be  the  forfeit.  The  punishment  for  such  offenses,  however, 
may  be  commuted  by  fines  of  cattle,  goats,  fowls,  or  brass 
wire.  All  acts  of  the  king  are  counted  benefits,  for  which  he 
must  be  thanked  ;  and  so  every  deed  done  to  his  subjects  is  a 


80 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDESS. 


gift  received  by  them,  though  it  should  aLsume  the  shape  of  flog- 
ging or  fine  ,  for  are  not  these,  which  make  bettor  men  of  them 
as  necessary  as  any  thing?  The  thanks  aro  rendeied  by  groveling 
on  the  ground,  floundering  about  and  whining  after  the  manner 
of  happy  dogs,  after  which  they  rise  up  suddenly,  take  up  sticks 
—  spears  are  not  allowed  to  be  carried  in  couit — make  as  \f 


"N'YANZIGING"  TO  A  SUPERIOR. 

charging  the  king,  jabbering  as  fast  as  tongues  can  rattle,  aud 
so  they  swear  fidelity  for  all  their  lives. 

This  is  the  greater  salutation ;  the  lesser  one  is  performed 
kneeling  in  an  attitude  of  prayer,  continually  throwing  open  the 
hands,  and  repeating  sundry  words.  Among  them  the  word 
"  n'yanzig  "  is  the  most  frequent  and  conspicuous  ;  and  hence 
these  gesticulations  receive  the  general  designation  u'yanzig,  a 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  81 

term  which  will  be  frequently  met  with,  and  which  it  is  necessary 
to  use  like  an  English  verb.  In  consequence  of  these  salutations, 
there  is  more  ceremony  in  court  than  business,  though  the  king, 
ever  having  an  eye  to  his  treasury,  continually  finds  some  trifling 
fault,  condemns  the  head  of  the  culprit,  takes  his  liquidation 
present,  if  he  has  anything  to  pay,  and  thus  keeps  up  his 
revenue. 

No  one  dare  stand  before  the  king  while  he  is  either  standing 
still  or  sitting,  but  must  approach  him  with  downcast  eyes  and 
bended  knees,  and  kneel  or  sit  when  arrived.  To  touch  the 
king's  throne  or  clothes,  even  by  accident,  or  to  look  upon  his 
women,  is  certain  death.  When  sitting  in  court  holding  a  levee, 
the  king  invariably  has  in  attendance  several  women,  "Wabandwa, 
evil-eye  averters  or  sorcerers.  They  talk  in  feigned  voices  raised 
to  a  shrillness  almost  amounting  to  a  scream.  They  wear  dried 
lizards  on  their  heads,  small  goatskin  aprons  trimmed  with  little 
bells,  diminutive  shields  and  spears  set  off  with  cock-hackles, 
their  functions  in  attendance  being  to  administer  cups  of  marwa 
(plantain  wine).  To  complete  the  picture  of  the  court,  one 
must  imagine  a  crowd  of  pages  to  run  royal  messages  ;  they  dare 
not  walk,  for  such  a  deficiency  in  zeal  to  their  master  might  cost 
their  life.  A  further  feature  of  the  court  consists  in  the  national 
symbols — a  dog,  two  spears  and  a  shield. 

With  the  company  squatting  in  a  large  half-circle,  or  three 
sides  of  a  square,  many  deep,  before  him,  in  the  hollow  of  which 
are  drummers  and  other  musicians,  the  king,  sitting  on  his 
throne  in  high  dignity,  issues  his  orders  for  the  day  much  to  the 
following  effect:  "Cattle,  women  and  children  are  short  in 
Uganda  ;  an  army  must  be  formed  of  one  to  two  thousand  strong 
to  plunder  Unyoro.  The  Wasoga  have  been  insulting  his  sub- 
jects, and  must  be  reduced  to  subjection ;  for  this  emergency 
another  army  must  be  formed  of  equal  strength,  to  act  by  land 
in  conjunction  with  the  fleet.  The  Wahaiya  have  paid  no  tribute 
to  his  greatness  lately,  and  must  be  taxed."  For  all  these 
matters  the  commander-in-chief  tells  off  the  divisional  officers, 
who  are  approved  by  the  king,  and  the  matter  is  ended  in  court. 
6 


82  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  divisional  officers  then  find  subordinate  officers,  who  find 
men,  and  the  army  proceeds  with  its  march.  Should  any  fail 
with  their  mission,  re-enforcements  are  sent,  and  the  runaways, 
called  women,  are  drilled  with  a  red-hot  iron  until  they  are  men 
no  longer,  and  die  for  their  cowardice.  All  heroism,  however, 
insures  promotion.  The  king  receives  his  army  of  officers  with 
great  ceremony,  listens  to  their  exploits,  and  gives  as  rewards 
women,  cattle,  and  command  over  men — the  greatest  elements 
of  wealth  in  Uganda — with  a  liberal  hand. 

As  to  the  minor  business  transacted  in  court,  culprits  are 
brought  in  bound  by  officers,  and  reported.  At  once  the 
sentence  is  given,  perhaps  awarding  the  worst  torture,  linger- 
ing death — probably  without  trial  or  investigation,  and  for  all  the 
king  knows,  at  the  instigation  of  some  one  influenced  by  wicked 
spite.  If  the  accused  endeavors  to  plead  his  defense,  his  voice 
is  at  once  drowned,  and  the  miserable  victim  dragged  off  in  the 
roughest  manner  possible  by  the  officers  who  love  their  king 
and  delight  in  promptly  carrying  out  his  orders.  Young  virgins, 
the  daughters  of  officers,  stark-naked,  and  smeared  with  grease, 
but  holding,  for  decency's  sake,  a  small  square  of  cloth  at  the 
upper  corners  in  both  hands  before  them,  are  presented  by  their 
fathers  in  propitiation  of  some  offense,  or  to  fill  the  harem. 
Seizing-officers  receive  orders  to  hunt  down  offending  officers, 
and  confiscate  their  lands,  wives  and  children.  An  officer 
observed  to  salute  informally,  is  ordered  for  execution,  when 
everyone  near  him  rises  at  once,  the  drums  beat,  drowning  his 
cries,  and  the  victim  of  carelessness  is  dragged  off,  bound  by 
cords,  by  a  dozen  men  at  once.  Another  man,  perhaps,  exposes 
an  inch  of  naked  leg  while  squatting,  or  has  his  cloth  tied  con- 
trary to  regulation,  and  is  condemned  to  the  same  fate. 

CHARMS    AND    MAGIC. 

STICK-CHARMS,  being  pieces  of  wood  of  all  shapes,  supposed 
to  have  supernatural  virtues,  and  colored  earths,  endowed  with 
similar  qualities,  are  produced  by  the  royal  magicians ;  the 
master  of  the  hunt  exposes  his  spoils,  such  as  antelopes,  cats, 
zebras,  lions,  etc. ;  the  fishermen  bring  their  catches  ;  the  cutlers 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  83 

Show  knives  made  of  iron,  inlaid  with  brass  and  copper;  the 
furriers,  most  beautifully-sewn  patchwork  of  antelopes'  skins  ; 
the  habit-maker,  sheets  of  mbugu  bark-cloth;  the  blacksmith, 
spears  ;  the  maker  of  shields,  his  productions,  and  so  forth  ;  but 
nothing  is  ever  given  without  rubbing  it  down,  then  rubbing  the 


MTESA  AND   HIS   DOG. 

face,  and  going  through  a  long  form  of  salutation  for  the 
gracious  favor  the  king  has  shown  in  accepting;;  it. 

When  tired  of  business,  the  king  rises,  spear  in  hand,  and, 
leading  his  dog,  walks  off  without  word  or  comment,  leaving  his 
company,  like  dogs,  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

Strict  as  the  discipline  of  the  exterior  court  is,  that  of  the  inte- 
rior is  not  less  severe.  The  pages  all  wear  turbans  of  cord  made 
frorp  aloe  fibres,  Shoul4  a  wife  commit  any  trifling  indiscretion, 


84  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

either  by  word  or  deed,  she  is  condemned  to  execution  on  the 
spot,  bound  by  the  pages  and  dragged  out.  Notwithstanding  the 
stringent  laws  for  the  preservation  of  decorum  by  all  male  attend- 
ants, stark-naked  full-grown  women  are  the  valets. 

On  the  fir<t  appearance  of  the  new  moon  every  month,  the 
king  shuts  himself  up,  contemplating  and  arranging  his  magic 
horns — the  horns  of  wild  animals  stuffed  with  charm  powder — • 
for  two  or  three  days.  These  may  be  counted  his  Sundays 
or  church  festivals,  which  he  dedicates  to  devotion.  On  other 
days  he  takes  his  women,  some  hundreds,  to  bathe  or  sport  in 
ponds  ;  or,  when  tired  of  that,  takes  long  walks,  his  women 
running  after  him,  when  all  the  musicians  fall  in,  take  precedence 
of  the  party,  followed  by  the  officers  and  pages,  with  the  king  in 
the  centre  of  the  procession,  separating  the  male  company  from 
the  fair  sex.  On  these  excursions  no  common  man  dare  look 
upon  the  royal  procession.  Should  anybody  by  chance  happen 
to  be  seen,  he  is  at  once  hunted  down  by  the  pages,  robbed 
of  everything  he  possesses,  and  may  count  himself  very  lucky  if 
nothing  worse  happens.  Pilgrimages  are  not  uncommon,  and 
sometimes  the  king  spends  a  fortnight  yachting ;  but  whatever 
he  does,  or  wherever  he  goes,  the  same  ceremonies  prevail — his 
musicians,  officers,  pages,  and  the  wives  take  part  in  all.  His 
sorcerers  are  important  personages,  who  are  always  upon 
attendance,  especially  on  all  journeys  which  a  young  king,  who  is 
not  yet  crowned,  takes,  when  by  signs  of  certain  trees  and 
plants,  they  determine  what  destiny  awaits  the  king.  According 
to  the  prognostics,  they  report  that  he  will  either  have  to  live  a 
life  of  peace,  or,  after  coronation,  take  the  field  at  the  head  of  an 
army  to  fight  east,  west  or  both  ways,  when  usually  the  march  is 
first  on  Kittara  or  the  second  on  Usogo.  These  preliminaries 
being  completed,  the  actual  coronation  takes  place,  when  the 
king  ceases  to  hold  any  communion  with  his  mother.  The 
brothers  are  burnt  to  death,  and  the  king,  we  shall  suppose, 
takes  the  field  at  the  head  of  his  army. 

A  SPORT-LOVING  BOY  KING SHOOTS  A  MAN  FOR  FUN. 

MTESA,  though  now  more  nearly  civilized  than  any  other  of  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  85 

Central  African  kings,  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  was  certainly 
one  of  the  most  singularly  unfeeling  savages  that  white  men  have 
ever  come  in  contact  with.  Speke's  visit  to  this  dusky  potentate, 
however,  was  one  which  he  had  no  reason  to  regret,  for,  on 
account  of  a  message  carried  forward  from  the  Karasme  kins;, 

O  O  O  ' 

requesting  Mtesa  to  receive  the  white  man  graciously,  Speke's 
reception  was  very  cordial,  the  king  granting  him  privileges 
which  even  the  highest  officers  in  the  realm  were  denied. 

On  Speke's  second  visit  to  Mtesa  at  the  palace,  he  carried  with 
him  some  rifles  as  presents  for  the  king,  being  anxious  to 
ingratiate  himself  into  his  favor,  to  the  end  that  he  might  obtain 
such  assistance  as  would  be  needed.  Upon  being  admitted  to 
the  palace,  which  was  no  more  than  an  unusually  large  grass  hut, 
the  king  was  found  sitting  on  his  throne,  while  mats  were 
arranged  on  the  ground  for  the  guests  to  sit  on,  no  one  being 
allowed  to  sit  upon  any  kind  of  raised  seat  in  the  presence  of  the 
monarch.  The  magic  horns,  by  which  his  magicians  determined 
his  destiny,  occupied  a  prominent  place  before  Mtesa.  Four 
cows  were  grazing  near  the  palace,  unconscious  of  the  presence 
of  royalty  or  the  fate  that  awaited  them.  Speke  presented 
the  guns  to  his  sable  majesty,  who  immediately  requested  him  to 
try  them  on  the  cows.  He  did  so  with  fatal  accuracy,  killing 
them  all,  whereat  the  king  was  greatly  delighted,  and  directed 
the  carcasses  to  be  delivered  to  Speke's  men.  Mtesa  then  loaded 
one  of  the  rifles  with  his  own  hands,  and,  cocking  it,  gave  it  to  a 
page  and  ordered  him  to  "go  out  and  shoot  a  man,"  with 
a  view  to  discovering  if  the  weapon  would  kill  men  as  readily  as 
it  had  dispatched  the  cows.  The  order  was  obeyed  with  alacrity, 
and  the  young  man  soon  returned  in  high  glee  over  his  success. 
"Did  you  do  it  well?"  asked  Mtesa.  "  Oh,  yes,  capitally,"  was 
the  response.  He  spoke  the  truth,  for  he  dared  not  trifle  with 
the  king.  The  affair  created  no  special  interest,  no  curiosity 
being  exhibited  as  to  what  particular  man  had  been  slaughtered. 

A  DOUBLE   CHARGE ONLY  A   WOMAN   KILLED. 

MTESA  was  so  delighted  with  fire-arms  that  he  continually 
begged  his  guest  to  shoot  before  him,  usually  at  cows  for  a  mark, 


86  rfHE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

and  as  these  were  generally  given  to  the  men  for  food  Speke  hud 
no  compunctions  of  conscience  in  complying.  Only  occasionally, 
however,  would  the  king  use  the  gun  himself,  appearing  to  have 
suspicions  that  in  some  way  it  was  under  the  control  of  a  wicked 
spirit.  Once  he  loaded  the  weapon,  putting  in  a  double  charge 
of  powder,  and  fired  at  a  cow  ;  the  bullet  not  only  passed  through 
the  animal,  but  also  through  a  fence,  and  then  through  the  center 
of  a  woman  who  chanced  to  be  passing  along  on  the  outside. 
This  shot  greatly  pleased  the  king,  leading  him  to  believe  that 
one  bullet,  well  directed,  might  slay  an  entire  line  of  soldiers,  and 
that  he  might  be  able  to  shoot  down  an  army  by  ranks. 

DROLL   DELIGHTS    OF   A    BOY   KING. 

ON  the  following  day  the  king  sent  for  Speke,  to  join  him  on 
a  neighboring  hill,  and  to  bring  the  shot-guns  with  him.  He 
cheerfully  complied,  and  on  reaching  the  appointed  place, 
he  found  Mtesa  hat  in  hand  and  his  face  wreathed  in  smiles 
of  welcome.  After  examining  the  gun,  the  king  led  off  toward 
a  large  tree  in  which  were  many  adjutant  birds  and  vultures 
nesting.  He  requested  his  companion  to  shoot  some  of  the  birds 
for  his  amusement,  but  Speke  passed  the  gun  back  to  him  and 
asked  him  to  display  his  own  skill.  Mtesa,  howevet,  was  still 
fearful  lest  there  might  be  dangerous  magic  in  the  gun.  To 
please  him,  therefore,  Speke  killed  an  adjutant  as  it  sat  in  a  nest, 
and  as  a  vulture  flew  out  he  brought  that  down  with  the  other 
barrel.  This  created  immense  excitement,  and  the  natives  were 
spell-bound  with  astonishment,  while  the  king  jumped  about, 
clapping  his  hands  and  shouting,  "  Woh !  woh !  woh !  what 
wonders!  Oh,  Bana,  Bana,  what  miracles  he  performs!"  in 
which  exultation  he  was  joined  by  his  servants  and  under-officers. 
"  Now  load,  Bana — load,  and  let  us  see  you  do  the  same  again," 
cried  the  king,  but  before  the  loading  was  half  completed  he 
said,  "  Come  along,  and  let  us  see  the  birds."  Then  directing 
the  officers  which  way  to  go — for,  by  the  etiquette  of  the  palace 
every  one  must  precede  the  king — he  sent  them  through  a  court 
whera  his  women,  afraid  of  the  guns,  were  concealed.  Here 
some  fences  iuterfered  with  the  impetuous  rush,  but  the  king 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  87 

shouted  to  his  officers  to  tear  them  down,  which  was  no  sooner 
said  than  done,  by  the  attendants  in  a  body  shoving  on  and 
trampling  them  under  as  an  elephant  would  crush  small  trees  to 
keep  his  course.  So  pushing,  floundering  through  plantain  and 
shrub,  pell-mell  one  upon  the  other,  that  the  king's  pace  might 
not  be  checked,  or  any  one  come  in  for  a  royal  kick  or  blow, 
they  came  upon  the  prostrate  bird.  "  Woh,  woh,  woh  !  "  cried 
the  king  again,  "  there  he  is,  sure  enough  ;  come  here  women — 
come  and  look  what  wonders!"  And  all  the  women,  in  the 
highest  excitement,  "  woh-wohed  "  as  loud  as  any  of  the  men. 
But  that  was  not  enough.  "  Come  along,  Bana,"  said  the  king, 
"  we  must  have  some  more  sport ;  "  and  saying  this,  he  directed 
the  way  toward  the  queen's  palace,  the  attendants  leading, 
followed  by  the  pages,  then  the  king,  next  Speke,and  finally  the 
women,  some  forty  or  fifty,  who  constantly  attended  him. 

To  make  the  most  of  the  king's  good  humor,  while  he  wanted 
to  screen  himself  from  the  blazing  sun,  Speke  asked  him  if 
he  would  like  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  an  umbrella  ;  and  without 
giving  him  time  to  answer,  he  held  his  own  over  him  as  they  walked 
side  by  side.  The  wakungu  were  astonished,  and  the  women 
prattled  in  great  delight ;  while  the  king,  hardly  able  to  control 
himself,  sidled  and  spoke  to  his  flatterers  as  if  he  were  doubly 
created  monarch  of  all  he  surveyed.  Then,  growing  more 
familiar,  he  said,  "  Now,  Bana,  do  tell  me — did  you  not  shoot 
that  bird  with  something  more  than  common  ammunition?  lam 
sure  you  did,  now  ;  there  was  magic  in  it."  And  all  that  could 
be  said  to  the  contrary  would  not  convince  him.  "  But  we  will 
see  again."  "At  buffaloes?"  said  Speke.  "No,  the  buffaloes 
are  too  far  off  now  ;  we  will  wait  to  go  after  them  until  I  have 
given  you  a  hut  close  by."  Presently  as  some  herons  were 
flying  overhead,  he  said,  "Now  shoot,  shoot!"  and  Speke 
brought  a  couple  down  right  and  left.  He  stared,  and  everybody 
stared,  believing  the  white  man  to  be  a  magician,  when  the  king 
said  he  would  like  to  have  pictures  of  the  birds  drawn  and  hung 
up  in  the  palace  ;  "  but  let  us  go  and  shoot  some  more,  for  it  is 
truly  wonderful."  Similar  results  followed,  for  the  herons  were 


88  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

continually  whirling  round,  as  they  had  their  nests  upon  a 
neighboring  tree  ;  and  then  the  king  ordered  his  pages  to  carry 
all  the  birds,  save  the  vulture — which,  for  some  reason,  they  did 
not  touch — and  show  them  to  the  queen. 

He  then  gave  the  order  to  move  on,  and  they  all  repaired  to 
the  palace.  Arrived  at  the  usual  throne-room,  he  took  his  seat, 
dismissed  the  party  of  wives  who  had  been  following  him, 
received  pombe — a  brewed  drink — from  his  female  evil-eye 
averters,  and  ordered  Speke  and  his  men  to  sit  in  the  sun  facing 
him,  till  the  traveler  complained  of  the  heat,  and  was  allowed  to 
sit  by  his  side.  Kites,  crows,  and  sparrows  were  flying  about  in 
all  directions,  and  as  they  came  within  shot,  nothing  would 
satisfy  the  excited  boy-king  but  that  Speke  must  shoot  them,  and 
his  pages  take  them  to  the  queen,  till  the  ammunition  was  totally 
expended.  He  then  wanted  to  send  for  more  shot ;  but  was  told 
to  wait  until  new  supplies  could  be  had,  whereupon  he  contented 
himself  with  taking  two  or  three  sample  pellets  and  ordering  his 
ironsmiths  to  make  some  like  them. 

THE  KING  DRESSED  LIKE  A  MONKEY. 

SPEKE  had  given  King  Mtesa  odd  garments  from  time  to  time, 
until  at  length  the  royal  stripling  appeared  dressed  in  European 
garb,  although,  on  account  of  the  shortness  of  the  pantaloons 
and  the  arms  of  the  coat,  his  black  ankles  and  wrists  stuck  out 
so  that  his  appearance  was  almost  identical  with  that  of  an  organ- 
grinder's  monkey.  To  add  to  his  inimitably  grotesque  costume, 
the  king's  cockscomb  of  hair  was  surmounted  by  a  little  red-fez 
cap,  which  completed  his  dressed-monkey  appearance,  though  he 
felt  that  no  one  was  ever  dressed  more  becomingly.  Thus 
attired,  the  king  held  a  levee,  at  which  twenty  naked  virgins,  all 
smeared  and  shining  with  grease,  each  holding  a  very  small, 
square  piece  of  cloth  to  serve  for  a  fig  leaf,  marched  in  a  line 
before  the  king  and  his  white  guest.  These  were  fresh  additions 
to  the  royal  harem,  and  the  happy  fathers  groveled  on  the 
ground,  giving'  thanks  in  profuse  "  n'yanziging,"  for  the 
gracious  favor  of  the  king's  acceptance.  The  sight  was  in  keep- 
ing with  the  whimsical  tastes  of  Mtesa,  so  that  Speke  could  noi, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


89 


control  his  mirth,  but  laughed  out,  whereupon  the  king  and  all 
others  present  also  began  laughing,  in  imitation,  like  a  crowd  of 
apes.  A  sedate  old  dame  then  arose,  and  turning  the  maidens 
right  about,  sent  them  marching  out  of  the  tent  with  their  backs 
completely  exposed.  In  describing  this  levee  with  the  king, 
Speke  adds  the  following : 

"I  have  now  been  for  some  time  within  the  court  precincts, 
and  have  consequently  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  court 
customs.  Among  these,  nearly  every  day  since  I  have  changed 
my  residence,  incredible  as  it  may  appear  to  be,  I  have  seen  one, 


LEADING   A   WIFE  TO   EXECUTION. 


two,  or  three  of  the  wretched  palace  women  led  away  to  execu- 
tion, tied  by  the  hand,  and  dragged  along  by  one  of  the  body- 
guard, crying  out,  as  she  went  to  premature  death,  *  Hai 
minange!'  (Oh  my  lord!)  «  Kbakka  ! '  (My  king!)  'Hai 
n'yawo  ! '  (My  mother !)  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  in  the  utmost 
despair  and  lamentation  ;  and  yet  there  was  not  a  soul  who  dared 
lift  hand  to  save  any  of  them,  though  many  might  be  heard 
privately  commenting  on  their  beauty." 

A  MONSTROUSLY  FAT  QUEEN. 

MTESA,  who  was  not  more  than  twenty  years  of  age  at  the 
time  Speke  visited  him,  was  ruler  of  Uganda,  but  not  absolute^ 


90  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

for  his  mother,  a  woman  of  about  forty  years,  was  queen- 
dowager,  whose  influence  in  civil  matters  was  almost  equal  to 
that  of  her  royal  son.  She  was  good-natured  and  received  Speke 
with  great  friendliness,  even  offering  him  any  one  of  her  many 
daughters  for  a  wife.  This  offer  led  the  Captain  to  inquire  what 
ceremony  was  connected  with  marriage  in  the  Uganda  country, 
to  which  the  queen  replied,  in  substance,  as  follows  : 

There  are  no  such  things  as  marriages  in  Uganda ;  there  are 
no  ceremonies  attached  to  it.  If  any  mkungu  possessed  of  a 
pretty  daughter  committed  an  offense,  he  might  give  her  to  the 
king  as  a  peace-offering  ;  if  any  neighboring  king  had  a  pretty 
daughter,  and  the  king  of  Uganda  wanted  her,  she  might  be 
demanded  as  a  fitting  tribute.  The  wakungu — officers — in  Ugan- 
da are  supplied  with  women  by  the  king,  according  to  their 
merits,  from  seizures  in  battle  abroad,  or  seizures  from  refractory 
officers  at  home.  The  women  are  not  regarded  as  property, 
though  many  exchange  their  daughters;  and  some  women,  for 
misdemeanors,  are  sold  into  stevery,  while  others  are  flogged  or 
are  degraded  to  do  all  the  menial  services  of  the  house. 

The  company  now  became  jovial,  when  the  queen  improved 
the  opportunity  by  making  a  significant  gesture,  and  with  roars 
of  laughter  asking  Speke  if  he  would  like  to  be  her  son-in-law, 
for  she  had  some  beautiful  daughters,  either  of  the  Wahuma  or 
Waganda  breed.  Rather  staggered  at  first  by  this  awful 
proposal,  he  consulted  his  interpreter  as  to  what  he  should 
do  with  one  if  he  got  her.  Bombay,  looking  strictly  to  number 
one,  said,  "  By  all  means  accept  the  offer,  for  if  you  don't  like 
her,  we  should,  and  it  would  be  a  good  means  of  getting  her  out 
of  this  land  of  death." 

The  queen  appeared  much  amused  at  Bombay's  selfish  solici- 
tude, and  became  quite  hilarious  with  her  visitors  under  the 
influence  of  the  pombe  that  she  had  swallowed,  and  they  all 
seemed  bent  upon  having  a  truly  royal  time  of  it.  Cups  were 
not  enough  to  keep  up  the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  so  a  large 
wooden  trough  was  placed  before  the  queen  and  filled  with 
liquor.  If  any  was  spilled,  the  officers  instantly  fought  over  it, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


91 


dabbing  their  noses  on  the  ground,  or  grabbing  it  with  their 
hands,  that  not  one  atom  of  the  queen's  favor  might  be  lost ; 
for  every  thing  must  be  adored  that  comes  from  royalty, 
whether  by  design  or  accident.  The  queen  put  her  head  to  the 
trough  and  drank  like  a  pig  from  it,  and  was  followed  by  her 
ministers.  The  band,  by  order,  then  struck  up  a  tune  called  the 


LICKING  UP  THE  POMBK. 


Milele,  playing  on  a  dozen  reeds,  ornamented  with  beads  and 
cow-tips,  and  five  drums,  of  various  tones  and  sizes,  keeping 
time.  The  musicians,  dancing  with  zest,  were  led  by  four  band- 
masters, also  dancing,  but  with  their  backs  turned  to  the  company 
to  show  off  their  long,  shaggy  goatskin  jackets,  sometimes 
upright,  at  other  times  bending  and  on  their  heels,  like  the 
HomDme-dancers  of  -western  countries. 


92  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

SAVAGE  CRUELTIES. 

THE  savage  nature  of  Mtesa  is  well  described  in  the  incidents 
following:  While  holding  a  levee  with  Speke  one  day,  a  large 
body  of  officers  entered  the  palace  with  an  old  man  whose 
two  ears  had  been  cut  off  for  having  been  too  handsome  in 
his  youth  ;  with  the  old  man  was  a  young  girl  who,  after  a  dis- 
appearance of  four  days,  had  been  found  by  a  searching  party  in 
the  old  man's  house.  These  two  were  brought  before  the  king 
for  his  judgment.  No  one  but  the  plaintiff  was  suffered  to  make 
any  statement,  and  he,  after  bowing  and  kissing  the  ground, 
declared  that  he  had  lost  the  girl,  and  after  considerable  search, 
had  found  her  concealed  in  the  house  of  the  old  man,  who  was, 
indeed,  old  enough  to  be  her  grandfather.  From  all  appearances, 
one  would  have  said  the  wretched  girl  had  run  away  from 
the  plaintiff's  house  in  consequence  of  ill-treatment,  and  had 
harbored  herself  on  this  decrepit  old  man  without  asking 
his  leave  ;  but  their  voices  in  defense  were  never  heard,  for 
the  king  instantly  sentenced  both  to  death,  to  prevent  the 
occurrence  of  such  impropriety  again  ;  and,  to  make  the  example 
more  severe,  decreed  that  their  lives  should  not  be  taken  at  once, 
but,  being  fed  to  preserve  life  as  long  as  possible,  they  were  to 
be  dismembered  bit  by  bit,  as  rations  for  the  vultures,  every 
day,  until  life  was  extinct.  The  dismayed  victims,  struggling 
to  be  heard,  in  utter  despair  were  dragged  away  boisterously  in 
the  most  barbarous  manner,  to  the  drowning  music  of  the  milele 
and  drums. 

The  king,  in  total  unconcern  about  the  tragedy  he  had  thus 
enacted,  immediately  on  their  departure  said,  "Now,  then,  for 
shooting,  Bana  ;  let  us  look  at  your  gun."  It  happened  to  be 
loaded,  but  fortunately  only  with  powder,  to  fire  Speke' s  announce- 
ment at  the  palace  ;  for  the  king  instantly  placed  caps  on  the  nipples 
and  let  off  one  barrel  by  accident,  the  contents  of  which  stuck  in 
the  thatch.  This  created  a  momentary  alarm,  for  it  was  supposed 
the  thatch  had  taken  fire ;  but  it  was  no  sooner  suppressed 
than  the  childish  king,  still  sitting  on  his  throne,  to  astonish  his 
officers  still  more,  leveled  the  gun  from  his  shoulder,  fired 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  93 

the  contents  of  the  second  barrel  into  the  faces  of  his  squatting 
officers,  and  then  laughed  at  his  own  trick. 

At  the  next  levee  the  king  gave  one  of  his  officers  a  woman,  as 
a  reward  of  merit.  This  gift  displeased  the  officer,  who 
grumbled  because  he  had  not  been  given  more  than  one  wife. 
This  made  the  king  so  angry  that  he  ordered  his  men  to  seize  the 
officer  and  cut  him  to  pieces.  The  sentence  was  immediately 
carried  out,  but  not  with  knives,  for  they  are  prohibited,  but 
Tvith  slips  of  sharp-edged  grass,  after  the  executioners  had  first 
dislocated  his  neck  by  a  blow  delivered  behind  the  head  with  a 
hsavy-headed  club.  Following  these  exhibitions  of  savagery 
was  another,  illustrating  the  whimsical  nature  of  this  anomalous 
ruler.  On  the  day  succeeding  the  execution  of  the  officer,  a  lad, 
not  yet  twenty,  came  upon  the  king  suddenly  and  attempted 
to  kill  him,  at  the  same  time  declaring  that  he  ought  not  to  live 
because  he  took  the  lives  of  men  unjustly.  The  king  had  a 
revolver  with  him,  which  had  been  presented  by  Speke,  and 
though  it  was  unloaded,  he  threw  its  muzzle  against  the  young 
man's  cheek,  which  so  frightened  him  that  he  fled  in  great  terror. 
For  this  grave  offense  it  would  be  natural  to  suppose  that  the 
savage  king  would  order  his  immediate  execution,  but  instead  of 
capital  punishment,  he  only  required  the  young  man  to  pay  a  fine 
of  one  cow,  and  then  released  him. 

Mtesa's  eccentricities  were  constantly  being  displayed,  but  his 
savage  nature  was  seldom  tempered  by  deeds  of  mercy.  Every 
day,  while  Speke  was  sojourning  in  Uganda,  waiting  the  arrival 
of  Capt.  Grant  and  new  supplies,  he  was  in  the  company  of  the 
boy  king,  whose  importunities  to  see  the  white  man  shoot  were 
incessant.  One  day  he  requested  Speke  to  accompany  him  on  a 
hunt  for  hippopotami.  They  started  early  in  the  morning, 
accompanied  by  pages  and  fifty  or  more  of  the  king's  wives. 
After  a  long  and  useless  pursuit  of  wary  hippopotami  in  canoes, 
Mtesa  ordered  the  boats  rowed  ashore  to  give  his  guest  a  picnic 
entertainment.  The  party  there  indulged  themselves  drinking 
pombe  and  plucking  delicious  fruits,  which  grew  in  great  abun- 
dance everywhere  in  the  forest.  There  was  no  little  enjoyment 


94 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


manifested  by  all  until,  by  unlucky  chance,  one  of  the  royal 
wives,  a  most  charming  creature,  and  one  of  the  best  in  the  harem, 
found  some  unusually  fine  fruit,  which  she  gathered  and  graciously 
offered  to  the  king,  thinking  to  please  him  much ;  but  he,  like  a 
savage  monster  or  madman,  flew  into  a  towering  passion,  declared 
it  was  the  first  time  a  woman  had  ever  had  the  impertinence  to 


CAPT.   SPEKE  SAVES  THE  QEEEN'S   LIFE. 

offer  him  anything,  and  ordered  the  pages  to  seize,  bind  and 
lead  her  off  to  execution.  The  order  was  no  sooner  given  than 
the  whole  bevy  of  pages  slipped  their  cord  turbans  from  their 
heads  and  rushed  like  a  pack  of  cupid  beagles  upon  the  fairy 
queen,  who,  indignant  at  the  little  urchins  daring  to  touch  her 
majesty,  remonstrated  with  the  king,  and  tried  to  beat  them  off 
like  flieSj  but  she  was  soon  captured,  overcome,  and  dragged  away. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  95 

crying,  in  the  names  of  the  kamraviona  and  mzungu  (Speke),  for 
help  and  protection  ;  while  Lubuga,  the  pet  sister,  and  all  the 
other  women,  clasped  the  king  by  his  legs  and,  kneeling,  im- 
plored forgiveness  for  their  sister.  The  more  they  craved  for 
mercy  the  more  brutal  he  became,  till  at  last  he  took  a  heavy 
stick  and  began  to  belabor  the  poor  victim  on  the  head.  Speke 
says  that  hitherto  he  had  been  extremely  careful  not  to  interfere 
with  any  of  the  king's  acts  of  arbitrary  cruelty,  knowing  that 
such  interference,  at  an  early  stage,  would  produce  more  harm 
than  good.  This  last  act  of  barbarism,  however,  was  too  much 
for  his  English  blood  to  stand  ;  and,  as  he  heard  his  name  im- 
ploringly pronounced,  he  rushed  at  the  king,  and,  staying  his 
uplifted  arm,  demanded  from  him  the  woman's  life.  Of  course 
he  ran  imminent  risk  of  losing  his  own  life,  in  thus  thwarting 
the  capricious  tyrant;  but  his  caprice  proved  the  friend  of  both. 
The  novelty  of  interference  even  made  him  smile,  and  the  woman 
was  instantly  released. 

Upon  returning  from  the  picnic,  a  little  page  brought  a  mes- 
sage to  the  king,  which  was  of  course  oral ;  but  it  happened  that 
the  message  was  not  given  exactly  correct,  whereupon  Mtesa  cut 
the  little  boy's  ears  off  and  sent  him  away  from  the  palace. 

THE  KING  AND    HIS  ARMY. 

ON  the  day  following  this  incident,  Colonel  Congow,  com- 
mandant of  the  king's  army,  returned  from  a  neighboring  district, 
where  they  had  been  plundering  the  Unyoro  people,  and  drew 
his  troops  up  before  the  palace  for  review.  The  king  soon  ap- 
peared, armed  with  spears  and  shield,  and  accompanied  by  his 
little  dog  and  his  chiefs,  who  sat  upon  the  ground.  The  battalion, 
consisting  of  what  might  be  termed  three  companies,  each  con- 
taining 200  men,  being  drawn  up  on  the  left  extremity  of  the 
parade-ground,  received  orders  to  march  past  in  single  file  from 
the  right  of  companies,  at  a  long  trot,  and  re-form  again  at  the 
other  end  of  the  square. 

Nothing  conceivable  could  be  more  wild  or  fantastic  than  the 
sight  which  ensued — the  men  all  nearly  naked,  with  goat  or  cat 
skins  depending  from  their  girdles,  ancl  smeared  with  war  colors 


96 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  97 

according  to  the  taste  of  each  individual — one  half  of  the  body 
red  or  black,  the  other  blue,  not  in  regular  order — as,  for  instance, 
one  stocking  would  be  red,  the  other  black,  while  the  breeches 
above  would  be  the  opposite  colors,  and  so  with  the  sleeves  and 
waistcoat.  Every  man  carried  the  same  arms — two  spears  and 
one  shield — held  as  if  approaching  an  enemy,  and  they  thus 
moved  in  three  lines  of  single  rank  and  file,  at  fifteen  to  twenty 
paces  asunder,  with  the  same  high  action  and  elongated  step,  the 
ground  leg  only  being  bent,  to  give  their  strides  the  greater  force. 
After  the  men  had  all  started,  the  captains  of  companies  followed, 
even  more  fantastically  dressed  ;  and  last  of  all  came  the  great 
Colonel  Congow,  a  perfect  Robinson  Crusoe,  with  his  long  white- 
haired  goatskins,  a  fiddle-shaped  leather  shield,  tufted  with  white 
hair  at  all  six  extremities,  bands  of  long  hair  tied  below  the 
knees,  and  a  magnificent  helmet,  covered  with  rich  beads  of  every 
color,  in  excellent  taste,  surmounted  with  a  plume  of  crimson 
feathers,  from  the  centre  of  which  rose  a  bent  stem,  tufted  with 
goat-hair.  Next  they  charged  in  companies  to  and  fro  ;  and, 
finally,  the  senior  officers  came  charging  at  their  king,  making 
violent  professions  of  faith  and  honesty,  for  which  they  were 
applauded.  The  parade  then  broke  up,  and  all  went  home. 

GRANT'S  ARRIVAL  WITH  SUPPLIES. 

AFTER  weeks  of  patient  waiting,  Capt.  Speke  had  the  pleasure 
of  again  seeing  his  anxiously  looked-for  comrade  approaching 
Uganda,  borne  in  a  litter  carried  by  four  porters.  Capt.  Grant 
had  been  suffering  from  a  stubborn  ulcer  on  his  heel,  and  for  a 
long  while  was  unable  to  travel,  which  accounted  for  the  long 
delay  of  his  arrival.  On  the  day  after  reaching  Uganda,  Mtesa 
sent  one  of  his  ambassadors  to  bring  Captains  Speke  and  Grant 
to  his  palace,  where  he  had  arranged  for  another  levee  in  honor 
of  the  new  guest.  In  the  afternoon  the  two  travelers  repaired  to 
the  court,  where  the  king  gave  them  a  courteous  welcome,  being 
particularly  well  pleased  because  they  presented  him  with  another 
double-barreled  shot-gun  and  some  more  ammunition.  Grant 
showed  the  king  many  of  his  sketches,  not  a  few  of  which  were 
7 


98 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


pictures  of  the  natives,  whereupon  the  royal  barbarian  besought 
him  to  sketch  his  highness  and  the  scene  of  the  levee. 

MAKING  THINGS   EVEN   IN  THE  HAREM. 

On  the  following  day,  when  Speke  and  Grant  went  to  visit  the 
king,  they  found  the  guards  at  the  gate  of  the  palace  f  eeeding  on 
scraps  of  meat  that  had  been  thrown  to  them  as  though  they 
were  dogs,  and  they  faithfully  carried  out  the  simile  by  fighting 
over  pieces  of  the  meat  just  as  dogs  do,  the  strongest  and  fiercest 


THE  PALACE  GUARDS  AT  DINNER. 

gettingthe  best  part  of  the  dinner.  Reaching  the  palace,  the  visitors 
found  his  majesty  sitting  on  the  ground,  within  a  hut,  behind 
a  portal,  encompassed  by  his  women,  and  they  took  their  seats 
outside.  At  first  all  was  silence,  till  one  told  the  king  the  white 
men  had  some  wonderful  pictures  to  show  him,  when  in  an  instant 
he  grew  lively,  crying,  "Oh,  let  us  see  them  I"  and  they  were 
shown,  Bombay  explaining.  Three  of  the  king's  wives  then 
came  in,  and  offered  him  their  two  virgin  sisters,  n'yanziging 
incessantly,  and  beseeching  their  acceptance,  as  by  that  means 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  99 

they  themselves  would  become  doubly  related  to  him.  Nothing, 
however,  seemed  to  be  done  to  promote  the  union,  until  one  old 
lady,  sitting  by  the  king's  side,  who  was  evidently  learned  in  the 
etiquette  and  traditions  of  the  court,  said,  "Wait  and  see  if  he 
embraces,  otherwise  you  may  know  he  is  not  pleased."  At  this 
announcement  the  girls  received  a  hint  to  pass  on,  and  the  king 
commenced  bestowing  on  them  a  series  of  huggings,  first  sitting 
on  the  lap  of  one,  whom  he  clasped  to  his  bosom,  crossing  his 
neck  with  hers  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  and,  having  finished 
with  her,  took  post  in  the  second  one's  lap,  then  on  that  of  the 
third,  performing  on  each  of  them  the  same  evolutions.  He 
then  retired  to  his  original  position,  and  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  supposed  to  be  concluded,  and  the  settlements  adjusted, 
when  all  went  on  as  before. 

Speke  says  that  during  this  one  day  they  heard  the  sad  voices 
of  no  less  than  four  women  dragged  from  the  palace  to  the 
slaughter-house.  It  seemed  to  be  the  king's  method  of  keeping 
his  harem  stocked  with  fresh  wives. 

SACRIFICE    OF   A    CHILD    BY   COOKING. 

A  FEW  days  before  the  departure  of  Speke  and  Grant  from 
Mtesa's  palace,  one  of  his  officers,  K'yengo,  informed  him  that, 
considering  the  surprising  events  which  had  lately  occurred  at 
court,  the  king,  being  anxious  to  pry  into  the  future,  had  resolved 
upon  a  very  strange  measure  for  accomplishing  that  end.  This 
was  the  sacrifice  of  a  child  by  cooking,  and  K'yengo  was  detailed 
to  perform  the  barbarous  ceremony,  which  is  described  as  fol- 
lows :  The  doctor  places  a  large  earthen  vessel,  half  full  of 
water,  over  a  fire,  and  over  its  mouth  a  grating  of  sticks,  whereon 
he  lays  a  small  child  and  a  fowl  side  by  side,  and  covers  them 
over  with  a  second  large  earthen  vessel,  just  like  the  first,  only 
inverted,  to  keep  the  steam  in,  when  he  sets  fire  below,  cooks 
for  a  certain  period  of  time,  and  then  looks  to  see  if  his  victims 
are  still  living  or  dead.  If  dead,  as  they  usually  are,  the  omen 
is  considered  propitious,  and  the  king  at  once  proceeds  upon 
whatever  enterprise  he  may  have  been  contemplating. 


100  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

LEAVING  UGANDA. 

ON  returning  home  from  the  palace,  the  evening  before  their 
departure,  one  of  the  king's  wives  overtook  Speke  and  Grant, 
walking,  with  her  hands  clasped  at  the  back  of  her  head,  to 
execution,  crying  "N'yawo!"  in  the  most  pitiful  manner.  A 
man  preceded  her,  but  did  not  touch  her  ;  for  she  loved  to  obey 
the  orders  of  her  king  voluntarily,  and,  in  consequence  of  pre- 
vious attachment,  was  permitted,  as  a  mark  of  distinction,  to 
walk  free.  Wondrous  world  !  it  had  not  been  ten  minutes  since 
they  had  parted  from  the  king,  yet  he  had  found  time  to  transact 
this  bloody  piece  of  business. 

The  next  day  they  repaired  early  to  the  palace  to  make  their 
final  adieus,  and  after  a  very  friendly  reception  they  arose  to 
depart,  the  white  men  making  English  bows  and  placing  their 
hands  upon  their  hearts,  Mtesa  instantly  imitating  whatever  they 
did,  with  the  mimicking  instincts  of  a  monkey.  The  king  and 
his  entire  court  followed  them  to  their  own  camp,  where  Mtesa 
expressed  a  wish  to  have  a  final  look  at  Speke' s  men,  and  he 
accordingly  ordered  them  to  turn  out  with  their  arms  and 
"n'yansig"  for  the  many  favors  they  had  received.  Mtesa, 
much  pleased,  complimented  them  on  their  goodly  appearance, 
remarking  that  with  such  a  force  Speke  would  have  no  difficulty 
in  reaching  his  destination,  and  exhorted  them  to  follow  him 
through  fire  and  water  ;  then,  exchanging  adieus  again,  he  walked 
ahead  in  gigantic  strides  up  the  hill,  the  pretty  favorite  of  his 
harem,  Lubuga — beckoning  and  waving  with  her  little  hands, 
and  crying  "Banal  Bana ! " — trotting  after  him  conspicuous 
among  the  rest,  though  all  showed  a  little  feeling  at  the  severance. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  101 

CHAPTEE  V. 

HARD   TRAVELING   TO    REACH    THE    NILE. 

TRAVELING  in  Africa  is  necessarily  slow,  on  account  of  the 
dense  jungles,  the  great  heat  and  annoying  insects.  After  pro- 
ceeding about  thirty  miles  one  of  the  escort  sent  by  Mtesa  was 
set  upon  and  killed  by  lurking  natives,  which  caused  much 
excitement,  as  the  party  desired  to  engage  in  war  at  once  to 
avenge  the  death  of  their  comrade.  No  such  stoppage,  of  course, 
was  allowed,  but  the  expedition  was  continually  harassed  by 
lurking  foes,  who  resisted  the  advance  of  Speke's  party  through 
their  country.  As  a  corrective  measure  Grant  was  hurried  for- 
ward with  a  small  party  to  Kamrasi,  king  of  Unyoro,  to  whom 
a  visit  was  contemplated,  with  a  request  for  his  protection. 

In  fourteen  days  after  departing  from  Uganda,  Speke  reached 
the  Victoria  Nile,  in  a  beautiful  natural  park  full  of  wonders.  The 
stream  at  this  point  was  from  600  to  700  yards  wide,  dotted  with 
islets  and  rocks,  the  former  occupied  by  fishermen's  huts, 
the  latter  by  sterns  and  crocodiles  basking  in  the  sun,  flowing 
between  fine  high  grassy  banks,  with  rich  trees  and  plantains  in 
the  background,  where  herds  of  the  n'sunnuand  hartebeest  could 
be  seen  grazing,  while  the  hippopotami  were  snorting  in  the 
water,  and  florikan  and  Guinea-fowl  rising  at  their  feet.  Unfor- 
tunately, the  chief  district  officer,  Mlondo,  was  from  home,  but 
Speke  took  possession  of  his  huts — clean,  extensive,  and  tidily 
kept — facing  the  river,  and  felt  as  if  a  residence  there  would  do 
his  men  good.  This  camping-place  was  confronting  Usoga, 
a  country  which  may  be  said  to  be  the  very  counterpart  of 
Uganda  in  its  richness  and  beauty.  Here  the  people  use  such 
huge  iron-headed  spears  with  short  handles  that  they  appear  to 
be  better  fitted  for  digging  potatoes  than  piercing  men.  Ele- 
phants had  been  very  numerous  in  this  neighborhood,  but  a  short 
time  before  Speke's  arrival  a  party  from  Unyoro,  ivory-hunting, 
had  driven  them  away.  Lions  were  also  described  as  very 
numerous  and  destructive  to  human  life.  Antelopes  were 


102  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

common  in  the  jungle,  and  the  hippopotami,  though  frequenters 
of  the  plaintain  gardens  and  constantly  heard,  were  seldom  seen 
on  land  in  consequence  of  their  unsteady  habits. 

DISCOVERING   THE   NILE'S    SOURCE. 

AFTER  remaining  a  day  in  this  beautiful  retreat,  the  expedition 
started  again  and  filed  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Nile  until  the 
Isambo  Rapids  were  reached.  Here  the  surroundings  were  weird 
and  suggestive  of  dark  and  bloody  deeds  ;  a  jutting  cliff,  over- 
shadowed by  deep  foliage  which  bars  the  sun's  rays,  and  below, 
a  dangerous  pit  of  boiling  water  lashed  by  hungry  crocodiles 
seeking  prey.  Pushing  further  on,  across  hills  and  over  planta- 
tions devastated  by  elephants,  the  party  arrived  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  journey,  the  farthest  point  ever  visited  by  the  expe- 
dition on  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  as  king  Mtesa's  palace,  and 
just  forty  miles  east  of  it,  on  Victoria  Lake. 

Speke  writes  :  "  We  were  well  rewarded  ;  for  the  'stones,'  as 
the  Waganda  call  the  falls,  were  "by  far  the  most  interesting  sight 
I  had  seen  in  Africa.  Everybody  ran  to  see  them  at  once, 
though  the  march  had  been  long  and  fatiguing,  and  even  my 
sketch-block  was  called  into  play.  Though  beautiful,  the  scene 
was  not  exactly  what  I  expected  ;  for  the  broad  surface  of  the 
lake  was  shut  out  from  view  by  a  spur  of  hill,  and  the  falls, 
about  twelve  feet  deep,  and  400  to  500  feet  broad,  were  broken 
by  rocks.  Still  it  was  a  sight  that  attracted  one  to  it  for  hours 
— the  roarof  the  waters,  the  thousands  of  passenger-fish,  leaping 
at  the  falls  with  all  their  might,  the  Wasoga  and  Waganda 
fishermen  coming  out  in  boats  and  taking  post  on  all  the  rocks 
with  rod  and  hook,  hippopotami  and  crocodiles  lying  sleepily  on 
the  water,  the  ferry  at  work  above  the  falls,  and  cattle  driven 
down  to  drink  at  the  margin  of  the  lake,  made,  in  all,  with 
the  pretty  nature  of  the  country — small  hills,  grassy-topped,  with 
trees  in  the  folds,  and  gardens  on  the  lower  slopes — as  interest- 
ing a  picture  as  one  could  wish  to  see." 

Speke  felt  certain  that  he  had  really  discovered  the  source  of 
the  Nile,  and  in  his  exultation  procured  some  boats,  intending  to 
have  a  sail  on  the  lake.  He  had  not  gone  far  on  its  tranquil 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  103 

bosom  before  he  saw  a  large  canoe,  well  laden  with  native?* 
who  came  toward  him  a  short  space,  then  retreated  to  the  shore 
with  drums  beating.  This  was  a  signal  of  war,  but  Speke  did 
not  understand  it,  though  cautioned  by  his  guides.  He  had 
heard  the  drum  beat  daily  at  Uganda,  and  could  not  believe  that 
within  forty  miles  of  that  place  the  customs  could  be  so  widely 
variant. 

As  he  came  near  the  shore,  a  large  party  of  the  Unyoro 
natives  were  seen  dancing,  beating  drums,  and  jabbing  their 
spears,  challenging  Speke's  boats  to  come  to  shore.  It  was  now 
growing  dusk,  and  hoping  to  conciliate  the  vengeful  barbarians, 
he  offered  them  presents  ;  but  these  were  disdained,  and  as  the 
shawdows  of  darkness  increased,  the  hostile  natives  pushed  out 
in  boats  and  attacked  Speke's  men,  who  numbered  only  twenty  ; 
these,  instead  of  offering  resistance,  as  ordered,  began  to  cry  out 
for  mercy,  and  refused  abjectly  to  use  their  carbines.  The 
resistance,  therefore,  fell  entirely  upon  Speke,  who  shot  three  of 
the  attacking  party.  The  noise  and  effect  of  the  gun  produced 
a  panic  among  the  enemy,  who  returned  to  shore  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  gaining  that,  scrambled  up  the  bank  and  rapidly 
disappeared. 

After  boating  on  the  lake  for  some  time,  Speke  resumed  his 
march  toward  the  palace  of  Kamrasi,  who  had  already  been 
apprised  by  Grant  of  his  coming,  and  he  sent  150  of  his  war- 
riors to  conduct  Speke  to  the  capital  of  his  dominion.  This 
accession  of  men  was  very  fortunate,  as  Speke's  party  had  been 
reduced  by  desertion  to  less  than  twenty,  and  they  would  have 
been  compelled  to  abandon  a  portion  of  the  supplies  except  for 
the  opportune  arrival  of  Kamrasi 's  men. 

On  the  9th  of  September  Unyoro  was  reached.  There  was 
much  disappointment  at  the  failure  of  king  Kamrasi  to  receive 
the  party,  but  after  some  parley  with  the  chief  officer,  quarters 
were  provided  in  some  miserable  little  huts  outside  of  the  palace 
grounds.  They  also  received  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  and 
were  told  to  await  until  the  next  day,  when  better  accommodations 
would  be  provided.  The  afternoon  was  spent  in  conversation 


104  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

with  Kidgwiga,  the  king's  embassador,  who  proved  himself  not 
an  uninteresting  conversationalist.  Among  many  other  things, 
he  said  that  Kamrasi  and  Mtesa — in  fact,  all  the  Wahuma — 
came  originally  from  a  stock  of  the  same  tribe  dwelling  beyond 
Kidi.  All  bury  their  dead  in  the  same  way,  under  ground: 
but  the  kings  are  toasted  first  for  months  till  they  are  like 
sun-dried  meat,  when  the  lower  jaw  is  cut  out  and  preserved, 
covered  with  beads.  The  royal  tombs  are  put  under  the  charge 
of  special  officers,  who  occupy  huts  erected  over  them.  The 
umbilical  cords  are  preserved  from  birth,  and,  at  death,  those 
of  men  are  placed  within  the  door-frame,  while  those  of 
women  are  buried  without — this  last  act  corresponding,  accord- 
ing to  Bombay,  the  interpreter,  with  the  custom  of  the 
Wahiyow.  On  the  death  of  any  of  the  great  officers  of  state, 
the  finger-bones  and  hair  are  also  preserved  ;  or,  if  they  have 
died  shaven,  as  sometimes  occurs,  a  bit  of  their  mbugu  dress 
is  preserved  in  place  of  the  hair.  Their  families  guard  their 
tombs. 

Kidgwiga  also  confirmed  a  story  which  Speke  first  heard  at 
Karague,  that  there  were  dogs  in  Unyoro  that  had  horns,  and  to 
carry  his  assurance  further,  declared  that  he  had  seen  one  in  the 
possession  of  an  official  person,  but  it  died.  The  horns  of  these 
fabled  dogs  are  filled  with  magic  powder  and  placed  on  a  war- 
track  for  the  marching  army  to  step  over,  to  secure  them  a  vic- 
tory. Sometimes  a  child  is  roasted  with  a  cock  to  subserve  a 
like  purpose.  Kidgwiga  also  stated  that  all  the  bachelors  of  hi? 
tribe  have  their  habitations  in  trees,  where  they  invariably  sleep, 
while  married  people  dwell  in  houses. 

FEASTING   ON  MOUNTAINS,  LAKES,  AND   HUMAN   FLESH. 

IT  was  several  days  before  Kamrasi  would  consent  to  receive, 
personally,  Speke  or  Grant,  giving  all  manner  of  excuses,  ap- 
pointing meetings,  but  never  appearing  at  them,  though  he  sent 
pombe,  plantains  and  .flour,  with  his  regards.  Bombay  was 
dispatched  to  the  king  sometimes  twice  a  day,  requesting  an 
audience  for  his  masters,  but  could  only  get  promises,  until  1 
varried  a  rifle  with  him,  and,  at  the  king's  request,  shot  a  co 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  105 

before  a  large  number  of  visiting  natives  from  an  adjoining 
kingdom.  The  king  then  became  quite  communicative,  and 
finally  gave  to  Bombay  the  following  curious  reasons  for  his 
conduct : 

"You  don't  understand  the  matter.  At  the  time  the  white 
men  were  living  in  Uganda,  many  of  the  people  who  had  seen 
them  there  came  and  described  them  as  such  monsters,  they  ate 
up  mountains  and  drank  the  lake  dry ;  and  although  they  fed  on 
both  beef  and  mutton,  they  were  not  satisfied  until  they  got  a 
dish  of  the  'tender  parts'  of  human  beings  three  times  a  day. 
Now  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  see  men  of  such  wonderful 
natures.  I  could  have  stood  their  mountain-eating  and  lake- 
drinking  capacities,  but  on  no  consideration  would  I  submit  to 
sacrifice  my  subjects  to  their  appetites." 

This  was  quite  a  sufficient  reason,  for  the  king  evidently  wanted 
to  wait  until  he  could  determine  whether  indeed  the  white  men 
were  such  great  f casters  as  they  had  been  represented. 

After  much  more  parleying  and  deceiving,  the  king  at  length 
appointed  an  interview  at  ?i  hut  which  he  had  specially  built  for 
the  purpose,  where,  as  he  :>aid,  no  strange  eyes  could  see  them. 
When  Speke  and  Grant  arrived  at  the  nc.w  palace,  they  found  the 
king  sitting  on  a  low  wooden  stool  which  rested  upon  a  double 
matting  of  cow  and  leopard  skins.  The  presents  which  were 
brought  for  his  highness  were  spread  before  him,  whereupon  he 
expressed  great  delight ;  and  then  referring  to  the  absurd  stories 
told  of  the  white  men,  said  he  did  not  believe  them,  else  his 
rivers,  deprived  of  their  fountain  sources,  would  have  run  dry  , 
and  that  even  if  they  did  eat  hills  and  the  tender  parts  of  man- 
kind, they  should  have  had  enough  to  satisfy  any  reasonable 
appetite  before  reaching  Unyoro. 

A   WONDERFUL    SORCERER. 

THEREAFTER  the  travelers  had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  the  king, 
as  his  simple  fancy  was  usually  tickled  by  some  new  present. 
On  one  occasion,  Speke  iclates  that  when  the  usual  hour 
arrived  for  him  to  measure  the  rainfall  for  the  past  twenty-four 
hours,  he  found  the  raiu-gaage  and  bottle  had  been  removed. 


106  THE  WORLD*S  WONDERS. 

He  therefore  sent  Kidgwiga  to  the  king  to  request  him  to  send 
his  magician  and  institute  search  for  it.  Kidgwiga  soon  returned 
with  an  old  man,  who  was  almost  blind,  whose  dress  consisted  of 
strips  of  leather  fastened  to  his  waist.  In  one  hand  he  carried 
a  cow's  horn  primed  with  magic  powder,  the  mouth  of  which 
was  carefully  covered  with  a  piece  of  leather,  from  which  dangled 
an  iron  bell.  The  old  creature  jingled  the  bell,  entered  Speke's 
hut,  squatted  on  his  hams,  looked  first  at  one,  then  at  the  other ; 
inquired  what  the  missing  things  were  like,  grunted,  moved  his 
skinny  arm  round  his  head,  as  if  desirous  of  catching  air  from 
all  four  sides  of  the  hut,  then  dashed  the  accumulated  air  on  the 
head  of  his  horn,  smelt  it  to  see  if  all  was  going  right,  jingled 
the  bell  again  close  to  his  ear,  and  grunted  his  satisfaction  ;  the 
missing  articles  must  be  found. 

To  carry  out  the  incantation  more  effectually,  however,  all  of 
Speke's  men  were  sent  for  to  sit  in  the  open  before  the  hut, 
when  the  old  doctor  rose,  shaking  the  horn  and  tinkling  the  bell 
close  to  his  ear.  Then,  confronting  one  of  the  men,  he  dashed 
the  horn  forward  as  if  intending  to  strike  him  on  the  face,  then 
smelt  the  head,  then  dashed  at  another,  and  so  on,  till  he  became 
satisfied  that  the  thief  was  not  among  them.  He  then  walked 
into  Grant's  hut,  inspected  that,  and  finally  went  to  the  place 
where  the  bottle  had  been  kept.  There  he  walked  about  the 
grass  with  his  arm  up,  and  jingling  the  bell  to  his  ear,  first  on 
one  side,  then  on  the  other,  till  the  track  of  a  hyena  gave  him 
the  clew,  and  in  two  or  three  more  steps  he  found  it.  A  hyena 
had  carried  it  into  the  grass  and  dropped  it.  Bravo  for  the 
infallible  horn  !  and  well  done  the  king  for  his  honesty  in  sending 
it !  So  Speke  gave  the  king  the  bottle  and  gauge,  which  delighted 
him  amazingly  ;  and  the  old  doctor,  who  begged  for  pombe,  got 
a  goat  for  his  trouble. 

EFFORTS  TO  LEAVE  UNYORO. 

KAMRASI  proved  himself  as  persistent  a  beggar  as  Mtesa,  and 
to  enable  him  to  get  more  than  Speke  was  willing  to  give,  the 
old  king  cunningly  held  his  white  guests  prisoners,  though  all  the 
time  professing  the  warmest  friendship  and  promising  whatever 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


107 


aid  he  could  give    Kamrasi  was  hardly  so  blood-thirsty  as  Mtesa, 
but  his  propensities  were  very  far  from  the  merciful,  particularly 


to  women,  whom  he  destroyed  with  savage  delight  at  times.  On 
one  occasion  he  offered  to  entertain  his  visitors  by  having  four 
women  cut  to  pieces  in  their  presence,  just  for  amusement. 


108 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


King  Kamrasi's  sisters  are  not  allowed  to  wed  ;  they  live  and  die 
virgins  in  his  palace.  Their  only  occupation  in  life  consists  in 
drinking  milk,  of  which  each  one  consumes  the  produce  daily  of 
from  ten  to  twenty  cows,  and  hence  they  become  so  inordinately 
fat  that  they  cannot  walk.  Should  they  wish  to  see  a  relative, 
or  go  outside  the  hut  for  any  purpose,  it  requires  eight  men  to 
lift  any  one  of  them  on  a  litter.  The  brothers,  too,  are  not  al- 
lowed to  go  out  of  his  reach.  This  confinement  of  the  palace 
family  is  considered  a  state  necessity,  as  a  preventive  to  civil 


KAMRASI   ON   HIS   THRONE. 

wars,  in  the  same  way  as  the  destruction  of  the  Uganda  princes, 
after  a  certain  season,  is  thought  necessary  for  the  preservation 
of  peace  there. 

On  one  occasion,  when  Speke  went  to  visit  Kamrasi ,  the  latter 
became  quite  communicative,  and  informed  his  guest  that  he  was 
sadly  afflicted  with  a  disorder  which  no  one  but  the  white  man 
could  cure.  "  What  is  it,  your  majesty?"  said  Speke  ;  "I  can 
see  nothing  in  your  face;  it  may,  perhaps,  require  a  private 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  109 

inspection."  "My  heart,"  he  said,  "  is  troubled  because  you 
will  not  give  me  your  magic  horn — the  thing,  I  mean,  in  your 
pocket,  which  you  pulled  out  one  day  when  you  were  discussing 
the  way  ;  and  you  no  sooner  looked  at  it  than  you  said,  '  This  is 
the  way  to  the  palace.'  '  It  was  Sepke's  chronometer,  the  only 
one  he  had  with  him,  that  the  old  fellow  was  angling  for.  The 
instrument  was  very  valuable,  and  could  not  well  be  spared,  so 
he  beaded  the  kin<*  to  wait  until  he  could  go  to  the  white  man's 

oo  o  o 

country  and  send  him  another.  "No,  I  must  have  the  one  in 
your  pocket,"  said  Kamrasi ;  "  pull  it  out  and  show  it."  Speke 
reluctantly  obeyed,  when  the  impetuous  savage  seized  chronome- 
ter, chain  and  all,  and  deposited  it  on  his  own  greasy  person. 
The  next  day  Speke  sent  a  message  to  Kamrasi  asking  that  he 
might  be  allowed  to  depart.  The  king,  thinking  him  angry  for 
having  taken  the  watch  so  rudely,  took  fright  at  the  message, 
and  sent  the  chronometer  back  by  an  attendant,  but  in  a  badly 
damaged  condition,  as  he  had  used  his  fingers  in  showing  his 
people  how  the  hands  worked. 

AFRICAN    TWINS. 

A  GREAT  deal  of  superstition  surrounds  the  birth  of  twin  chil- 
dren in  Africa.  If  one  should  die  the  mother  continues  to  milk 
herself  every  evening  for  five  months,  in  order  that  the  spirit  of 
the  dead  child  may  have  plenty  to  eat  and  not  persecute  her. 
Twins  are  not  buried  as  ordinary  people,  under  ground,  but  are 
placed  in  earthenware  pots  and  carried  to  the  jungle,  where  the 
pots  are  left,  mouths  downward,  near  the  roots  of  a  tree.  Among 
some  tribes,  on  the  death  of  a  twin,  the  mother  ties  a  little  gourd 
around  her  neck,  and  puts  into  it  a  trifle  of  everything  she  gives 
to  the  living  child,  lest  the  spirit  of  the  dead  one  should  become 
jealous.  In  some  localities,  on  the  death  of  a  child  the  mother 
smears  herself  with  butter  and  ashes,  and  runs  frantically  about, 
tearing  her  hair  and  bewailing  piteously  ;  while  the  men  of  the 
place  use  toward  her  the  foulest  language,  apparently  as  if  in 
abuse  of  her  person,  but  in  reality  to  frighten  away  the  demons 
who  have  robbed  her  nest. 

Delays  and  broken  promises  at  length  so  exasperated  Speke, 


110  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

who  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  return  home,  that  he  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  Kamrasi  reminding  him  of  his  deceptive  promises,  and 
declaring  that  unless  he  was  permitted  to  depart  at  once  he  would 
return  all  the  presents  the  king  had  given  him  and  regard  his  ac- 
tions as  hostile.  Upon  receiving  this  message  Kamrasi  was 
much  concerned,  and  sent  Speke  a  present  of  a  dwarf  called 
Kimenya,  thinking  to  thus  allay  his  wrath.  This  dwarf  was  less 
than  a  yard  in  height,  had  many  deformities,  and  walked  with  a 
cane  much  taller  than  himself.  He  made  himself  quite  familiar 
with  the  travelers,  and  amused  them  by  dancing,  singing  and 


THE  FROLICSOME  DWARF. 

performing  many  queer  antics,  ending  by  giving  the  charging- 
march  and  asking  for  500  beads.  The  colored  beads  were  given 
him,  and  he  was  then  sent  back  to  the  king,  because  no  possible 
use  could  be  made  of  him. 

Two  days  more  were  spent  persuading  Kamrasi  to  consent  to 
a  departure  of  the  expedition,  but  to  all  requests  he  returned 
some  cunning  reply  :  it  was  impossible  to  get  his  men  together 
so  soon  ;  or,  he  was  fearful  lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands 
of  savages,  who  had  already  threatened  to  exterminate  the  white 
travelers ;  or,  that  the  weather  was  unfavorable,  and  a  dozen 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  Ill 

other  pretenses  equally  unreasonable  and  vexatious.  Forbearance 
finally  lost  its  virtue,  and  Speke  began  to  declare  his  independ- 
ence, notwithstanding  his  great  need  for  an  escort  and  some 
provisions  which  the  king  had  promised  him.  His  bold  attitude 
had  the  desired  effect  upon  Kamrasi,  and  his  consent  to  their 
departure  was  finally  obtained.  Before  saying  adieu,  however, 
the  old  beggar  asked  for  medicine  that  would  prevent  the  death 
of  offspring,  which  is  a  calamity  that  overtakes  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  children  in  that  country  before  they  are  able  to  walk. 
He  also  wanted  a  medicine  that  would  cause  his  subjects  to  love 
him.  Both  these  remedies,  of  course,  had  to  be  denied,  where- 
upon the  king  compromised  on  six  carbines,  a  hair  brush,  some 
matches,  a  pot,  and  a  quantity  of  ammunition.  An  escort  of 
twenty-four  warriors  was  then  provided,  and  ten  cows  were  given 
for  meat.  The  expedition  now  began  its' march  to  Madi. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

UPON  leaving  Kamrasi's,  Speke  and  his  men  proceeded  part  of 
the  way  by  water,  in  canoes,  on  the  Kafu  river,  on  which  they 
saw  many  floating  islands  of  grass  and  reeds,  frequently  large 
and  compact  enough  to  support  cattle,  which  grazed  upon  them. 

One  evening,  after  camping  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  a  half- 
drunken  native  brought  them  a  pot  of  pombe,  and  greatly  amused 
them  with  frantic  charges,  as  if  he  were  fighting  with  his  spear ; 
find  after  settling  the  supposed  enemy,  he  delighted  in  trampling 
him  underfoot,  spearing  him  repeatedly  through  and  through, 
then  wiping  the  blade  of  the  spear  in  the  grass,  and  finally  pol- 
ishing it  on  his  tufty  head,  when,  with  a  grunt  of  satisfaction, 
he  shouldered  arms  and  walked  away  a  hero. 

They  continued  their  water  journey  until  they  reached  Parau- 


112  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

goni,  where  they  halted  to  plea.se  the  governor,  Magamba,  who 
received  them  with  great  kindness.  This  titled  savage  was 
anxious  to  see  all  the  white  men's  possessions,  which  he  regarded 
with  inexpressible  wonder.  He  told  the  travelers,  among  other 
things,  that  in  the  neighboring  district  of  Ururi,  which  is  a 
province  of  Unyoro,  there  was  a  very  noted  governor,  named 
Kimeziri,  whose  wisdom  was  greater  than  that  of  any  other  man 
in  Africa.  This  wise  man  had  an  oiiginat  way  of  doing  things  ; 
for  example,  when  his  wives  presented  him  children  there  Was 
always  more  or  less  doubt  about  t;ieir  paternity ;  so,  to  settle 
the  question,  he  covered  the  new  i. if  ants  with  beads  and  threw 
them  into  the  lake  ;  if  they  sank  be  accepted  the  fact  as  proof 
that  they  were  not  his  offspring.  It  may  be  inferred  that  Kime- 
ziri had  very  few  children  out  of  th  a  lake. 

Speke  did  not  tarry  long  with  the  hospitable  Magamba,  for  he 
was  in  a  country  badly  infested  by  thieves,  who  were  daily 
making  efforts  to  reduce  the  small  store  of  provisions  which  he 
had  with  much  difficulty  accumulated. 

Ukoro,  governor-general  of  Chopi,  sent  a  message  to  Speke, 
requesting  him  not  to  proceed  further  down  the  river,  lest  the 
Chopi  ferryman  at  Karuma  falls  should  take  fright  at  the  strange 
appearance  of  white  men  and  flee  away.  Careful  to  give  no 
offense,  he  complied  with  this  singular  request,  and  sent  his 
packs  overland. 

The  ground  on  the  line  of  march  was  highly  cultivated,  and 
intersected  by  a  deep  ravine  of  running  water,  whose  sundry 
branches  made  the  surface  very  irregular.  The  sand-paper  tree, 
whose  leaves  resemble  a  cat's  tongue  in  roughness,  and  which  is 
used  in  Uganda  for  polishing  their  clubs  and  spear-handles,  was 
conspicuous ;  but  at  the  end  of  the  journey  only  was  there  any 
thing  of  much  interest  to  be  seen.  There  suddenly,  in  a  deep 
ravine,  the  formerly  placid  river,  up  which  vessels  of  moderate 
size  might  steam  two  or  three  abreas';,  was  changed  into  a  turbu- 
lent torrent.  Beyond  lay  the  land  of  Kidi,  a  forest  of  mimosa 
trees  rising  gently  away  from  the  water  in  soft  clouds  of  green. 
This  the  governor  of  the  place,  Kija,  described  as  a  sporting- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  IT 3 

field,  where  elephants,  hippopotami  and  buffalo  are  hunted  by 
the  occupants  of  both  sides  of  the  river. 

The  name  given  to  the  Karuma  Falls  arose  from  the  absurd 
belief  that  Karuma,  the  agent  or  familiar  of  a  certain  great  spirit, 
placed  the  stones  that  break  the  waters  in  the  river,  and,  for  so 
doing,  was  applauded  by  his  master,  who,  to  reward  his  services 
by  an  appropriate  distinction,  allowed  the  stones  to  be  called  by 
his  own  name.  Near  this  is  a  tree  which  contains  a  spirit  whose 
attributes  for  gratifying  the  powers  and  pleasures  of  either  men 
or  women  who  summon  its  influence  in  the  form  appropriate  to 
each,  appeared  to  be  almost  identical  with  that  of  Mahadeo's 
Ligra  in  India. 

AMONG  ELEPHANTS,  BUFFALOES  AND  HARTEBEEST. 

WITH  an  increased  force  the  party  moved  on  through  very 
high  grass  with  great  difficulty.  This  was  a  rich  pasture-ground 
for  elephants,  buffaloes  and  hartebeest,  many  of  which  were 
seen,  but  none  happened  to  be  within  gun  shot,  except  a  single 
large  buffalo,  which  Speke  put  a  bullet  through  and  then  allowed 
the  savage  porters  who  accompanied  him  the  pleasure  of 
dispatching  the  wounded  animal  in  their  own  wild  fashion  with 
spears, 

It  was  a  sight  quite  worthy  of  a  little  delay.  No  sooner  was 
it  observed  that  the  huge  beast  could  not  retire,  than,  with  spring- 
ing bounds,  the  men,  all  spear  in  hand,  as  if  advancing  on  an 
enemy,  went  top  speed  at  him,  over  rise  and  fall  alike,  till,  as 
they  neared  the  maddened  bull,  he  instinctively  advanced  to  meet 
his  assailants  with  the  best  charge  his  exhausted  body  could 
muster  up.  Wind,  however,  failed  him  soon  ;  he  knew  his  dis- 
advantage, and  tried  to  hide  by  plunging  into  the  water — the 
worst  policy  he  could  ha^e  pursued  ;  for  the  men  from  the  bank 
"ibove  soon  covered  him  with  bristling  spears,  and  gained  their 
victory.  They  then  proceeded  to  cut  up  and  cook  the  carcass, 
ill  the  while  indulging  in  loud  praises  of  their  personal  bravery 
and  prowess. 

After  a  journey  of  more  than  one  whole  day,  Speke  accom- 
plished  the  distance  which  lay  between  the  spot  where  he  had 


114  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

shot  the  buffalo  and  the  village  of  Koki,  in  the  province  of 
Gani.  The  weather  now  was  fine,  and  the  view  afforded  was 
very  beautiful,  looking  toward  the  village,  which  was  composed 
of  about  fifty  conical  huts,  located  on  the  ridge  of  a  small  chain 
of  granitic  hills.  As  they  approached  nearer,  knots  of  naked 
rnen  could  be  seen  perched  like  monkeys  on  the  granite  blocks 
awaiting  their  arrival.  According  to  the  usage  of  the  country, 
Speke  and  his  porters  halted  while  the  guides  were  sent  forward 
to  notify  Chongi,  the  governor-general,  that  a  party  of  visitors 
from  Kamrasi  were  coming  to  be  his  guests  for  a  day  or  more. 
This  information  was  very  pleasing  to  Chongi,  who  had  been 
appointed  governor  of  the  district  by  Kamrasi.  All  the  notables 
of  the  place,  covered  with  war-paints,  and  dressed,  so  far  as  their 
nakedness  was  covered  at  all,  like  clowns  in  a  fair,  charged 
down  the  hill  full  tilt  with  their  spears,  and,  after  performing 
their  customary  evolutions,  mingled  with  Speke's  men  and 
invited  them  up  the  hill,  where  they  no  sooner  arrived  than 
Chongi,  a  very  old  man,  attended  by  his  familiar,  advanced  to 
receive  them — one  holding  a  white  hen,  the  other  a  small  gourd 
of  pombe  and  a  little  twig. 

Chongi  gave  the  party  a  friendly  harangue  byway  of  greeting, 
and,  taking  the  fowl  by  one  leg,  swayed  it  to  and  fro  close  to  the 
ground  in  front  of  his  assembled  visitors.  After  this  ceremony 
had  been  repeated  by  the  familiar,  Chongi  took  the  gourd  and 
twig  and  sprinkled  the  contents  all  over  the  travellers  ;  retired 
to  the  Uganda,  or  magic  house — a  very  diminutive  hut — sprinkled 
pornbe  over  it ;  and,  finally,  spreading  a  cowskin  under  a  free, 
bade  Speke  and  Grant  sit,  and  gave  them  a  jorum  of  pombe, 
making  many  apologies  that  he  could  not  show  them  more  hospi 
tality,  as  famine  had  reduced  his  stores.  What  politeness  in  the 
midst  of  such  barbarism  !  Nowhere  had  they  seen  such  naked 
creatures,  whose  sole  dress  consisted  of  bead,  iron,  or  brass  orna- 
ments, with  some  feathers  or  cowrie-beads  on  the  head.  Even 
the  women  contented  themselves  with  a  few  fibres  hung  like  tails 
before  and  behind.  The  hair  of  the  men  was  dressed  in  the  same 
fantastic  fashion.  Babies  were  carried  at  their  mother's  backs, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  115 

as  in  all  savage  countries,  and  the  women  placed  gourds  over 
them  to  protect  them  from  the  sun.  These  people,  like  the 
Kidi,  whom  they  much  fear,  carry  diminutive  stools  to  sit  upon 
wherever  they  go. 

A    HAPPY   MEETING    NOT    WHOLLY    UNALLOYED. 

NEARLY  two  days  were  spent  with  Chief  Chongi,  who  enter- 
tained his  white  guests  very  agreeably,  but  when  Speke  desired 
to  move  again,  he  found  his  porters  in  a  mutinous  mood,  and 
more  than  one-half  of  them  deserted.  With  such  a  diminution 
of  their  carrying  force,  they  were  seriously  inconvenienced,  but 
they  pushed  on  anxious  to  meet  an  expedition  under  Petherick, 
who  had  come  to  their  relief,  and  was  reported  to  be  then  in  the 
Madi  country.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  their  de- 
parture they  came  in  sight  of  what  they  supposed  was  Petherick 's 
outpost,  under  charge  of  a  very  black  Turk  named  Mohamed. 
Guns  were  fired,  flags  waved,  and  other  evidences  of  joy  mani- 
fested. Mohamed  came  out  and  greeted  Speke  and  Grant  with 
hugs  and  kisses,  and  in  reply  to  inquiries  declared  that  Petherick 
was  then  at  Gondokoro,  about  fifteen  days'  marches  distant. 
Speke  was  anxious  to  set  off  at  once,  but  Mohamed  detained  him 
by  various  excuses,  until  at  length,  by  a  cunning  stratagem,  he 
induced  Speke  to  remain  and  guard  the  camp  until  he  returned 
from  a  short  excursion  into  the  interior  on  a  trading  expedition. 
Mohamed  marched  his  regiment  out  of  the  place,  drums  and  fifes 
playing,  colors  flying,  a  hundred  guns  firing,  officers  riding,  some 
of  them  on  donkeys,  and  others  on  cows !  while  a  host  of  the 
natives  under  Rionga,  a  rebellious  brother  of  Kamrasi,  accom- 
panied them,  carrying  spears  and  bows  and  arrows.  The  outfit 
looked  very  little  like  a  peaceful  caravan  of  merchants,  but 
much  more  like  a  band  of  marauders,  as  they  really  were. 

In  this  matter  Speke  was  badly  outwitted,  for  the  wily  Turk 
was  an  independent  trader,  having  no  connection  with  Petherick 
whatever,  but  by  his  pretenses  induced  Speke  to  guard  the  camp 
while  he  went  out  to  plunder  one  of  Kamrasrs  allies.  When 
Mohamed  returned  to  camp  he  brought  his  army  in  laden  with 
ivory,  and  drove  before  him  five  slave  girls  and  thirty  head  of 


116 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  117 

cattle.  During  the  time  that  Speke  guarded  the  camp  he  was 
surprised  to  see  an  entire  village  of  Madi  people  removing  their 
habitations  from  the  vicinity.  They  had  suffered  enough  from 
Mohamed,  and  when  they  saw  their  opportunity,  they  literally 
took  up  the  frames  of  their  houses  and  went  off  to  found  another 
village,  where  they  hoped  the  brutal  Turk  would  not  find  them. 
Shortly  after  Mohamed's  arrival  with  his  spoils  of  victory, 
there  came  into  camp  the  head  man  of  a  village  which  the  Turk 
had  assisted  Blongain  destroying,  carrying  with  him  a  large  tusk 
of  ivory  with  which  to  ransom  his  daughter,  who  was  one  of  the 
five  o-irls  seized  for  slaves.  As  girls  were  numerous  and  of  no 

O  " 

value,  Mohamed  accepted  the  ransom.  On  the  following  day 
his  villainous  character  was  again  illustrated.  Some  men  who 
had  fled  from  their  village  when  his  plundering  party  passed  by 
them,  surprised  that  he  did  not  stop  to  sack  their  homes,  now 
brought  ten  large  tusks  of  ivory  to  him  to  express  the  gratitude 
they  said  they  felt  for  his  not  having  molested  them.  Mohamed, 
on  finding  how  easy  it  was  to  get  taxes  in  this  fashion,  instead  of 
thanking  them,  assumed  the  air  of  the  great  potentate,  whose 
clemency  was  abused,  and  told  the  poor  creatures  that,  though 
they  had  done  well  in  seeking  his  friendship,  they  had  not  suffi- 
ciently considered  his  dignity,  else  they  would  have  brought 
double  that  number  of  tusks,  for  it  was  impossible  he  could  be 
satisfied  at  so  low  a  price.  "  What,"  said  these  poor  creatures, 
"can  we  do,  then,  for  this  is  all  we  have  got?"  "Oh, "says 
Mohamed,  **  if  it  is  all  you  have  got  now  in  store,  I  will  take 
these  few  for  the  present  but  when  I  return  from  Gondokoro  I 
expect  you  will  bring  me  just  as  many  more.  Good-by,  and 
look  out  for  yourselves."  Impatient  of  delays,  and  disgusted 
with  Mohamed's  barbarity,  Spekeat  length  procured  two  guides 
from  him,  and  pushed  ahead  for  the  Nile,  which  they  reached 
after  several  hard  marches,  at  a  place  called  Jaifi.  Here  they 
were  overtaken  by  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Turks,  who  killed 
a  crocodile  and  ate  him  on  the  spot,  much  to  the  amusement  of 
Speke's  men,  who  immediately  shook  their  heads  laughingly,  and 
said,  "  Ewa  Allah  !  are  these  men,  then,  Mussulmans?  Savages 
4n  «ur  country  don't  much  like  a  crocodile."  — 


118  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

JOYFUL  MEETING  WITH  SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER. 

Two  days  later  Mohamed  overtook  Speke,  and  together  they 
journeyed,  with  plundered  cattle,  slave  girls  and  ivory,  which  the 
old  Turk  had  so  cruelly  wrested  from  the  helpless  savages,  on  to 
Gondokoro.  On  reaching  that  place,  they  met  the  noted  English 
traveler,  Samuel  White  Baker,  and  his  wife,  on  their  way  to  the 
interior  of  Africa.  This  meeting  must  be  described  in  Speke's 
own  language : 

"  Walking  down  the  bank  of  the  river — where  aline  of  vessels 
was  moored,  and  on  the  right  hand  a  few  sheds,  one-half  broken 
down,  with  a  brick  house  representing  the  late  Austrian  mission 
establishment — we  saw  hurrying  on  toward  us  the  form  of  an 
Englishman,  who  for  one  moment  we  believed  was  a  Simon 
Pure  [Petherick]  ;  but  the  next  moment  my  old  friend  Baker, 
famed  for  his  sports  in  Ceylon,  seized  me  by  the  hand.  A  little 
boy  of  his  establishment  had  reported  our  arrival,  and  he  in  an 
instant  came  out  to  welcome  us.  What  joy  this  was  I  can  hardly 
tell.  We  could  not  talk  fast  enough,  so  overwhelmed  were  we 
both  to  meet  again.  Of  course  we  were  his  guests  in  a  moment, 
and  learned  everything  that  could  be  told.  I  now  first  heard  of 
the  death  of  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  Consort,  which  made  mereflect 
on  the  inspiring  words  he  made  use  of,  in  complimentio  myself, 
when  I  was  introduced  to  him  by  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  a  short 
while  before  leaving  England.  Then  there  was  the  terrible  war 
in  America,  and  other  events  of  less  startling  nature,  which  came 
on  us  all  by  surprise,  as  years  had  now  passed  since  we  had  re- 
ceived news  from  the  civilized  world. 

"  Baker  then  said  he  had  come  up  with  three  vessels — one 
dyabirand  two  nuggers — fully  equipped  with  armed  men,  camels, 
horses,  donkeys,  beads,  brass  wire,  and  everything  necessary 
for  a  long  journey,  expressly  to  look  after  us,  hoping,  as  he 
jokingly  said,  to  find  us  on  the  equator  in  some  terrible  fix,  that 
he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  helping  us  out  of  it.  He  had 
heard  of  Mohamed's  party,  and  was  actually  waiting  for  him  to 
come  in,  that  he  might  have  had  the  use  of  his  return-men  to 
start  with  comfortably.  Three  Dutci  ladies,  also,  with  a  view 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  119 

to  assist  us  in  the  same  way  as  Baker  (God  bless  them),  had 
come  here  in  a  steamer,  but  were  driven  back  to  Khartoum  by 
sickness.  Nobody  had  even  dreamed  for  a  moment  it  was  pos- 
sible we  could  come  through.  An  Italian,  named  Miani,  had 
gone  further  up  the  Nile  than  any  one  else,  and  had  cut  his  name 
on  a  tree  by  Apuddo,  at  the  furthest  point  reached  by  him.  But 
what  had  become  of  Petherick?  He  was  actually  trading  at 
N'yambara,  seventy  miles  due  west  of  this,  though  he  had) 
since  I  left  him  in  England,  raised  a  subscription  of  £1,000  from 
my  friends  to  aid  him  in  finding  me." 

ALARM   ABOUT    PETHERICK. 

SPEKE  felt  some  alarm  about  the  safety  of  Petherick,  and  was 
upon  the  point  of  going  to  his  succor,  especially  as  it  was 
reported  he  had  already  had  one  engagement  with  the  natives. 
But  when  he  was  about  ready  to  start,  Petherick  returned  to 
Gondokoro,  and  the  joy  of  meeting  was  complete. 

We  have  now  followed  Speke  through  Africa,  describing  all 
the  important  facts  and  incidents  recorded  in  his  journal,  but 
before  dismissing  him  to  call  up  another,  will  present  his  conclu- 
sions, which,  as  will  hereafter  be  seen,  were  frequently  at  fault. 
He  says : 

"Having  now,  then,  after  a  period  of  twenty-eight  months, 
come  upon  the  tracks  of  European  travelers,  and  met  them  face 
to  face,  I  close  my  Journal,  to  conclude  with  a  few  explanations, 
for  the  purpose  of  comparing  the  various  branches  of  the  Nile 
with  its  affluents,  so  as  to  show  their  respective  values. 

"The  first  affluent,  the  Bahr  el  Ghazal,  took  us  by  surprise; 
for,  instead  of  finding  a  huge  lake,  as  described  in  our  maps,  at 
an  elbow  of  the  Nile,  we  found  only  a  small  piece  of  water 
resembling  a  duck-pond  buried  in  a  sea  of  rushes.  The  old  Nile 
swept  through  it  with  majestic  grace,  and  carried  us  next  to  the 
Geraffe  branch  of  the  Sobat  river,  the  second  affluent,  which  we 
found  flowing  into  the  Nile  with  a  graceful  semi-circular  sweep 
and  good  stiff  current,  apparently  deep,  but  not  more  than  fifty 
yards  broad. 

"Next  in  order  came  the  main  stream  of  the  Sobat,  flowing 


120  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

into  the  Nile  in  the  same  graceful  way  as  the  Geraffe,  which  in 
breadth  it  surpassed,  but  in  velocity  of  current  was  inferior. 
The  Nile  by  these  additions  was  greatly  increased  ;  still,  it  did 
not  assume  that  noble  appearance  which  astonished  us  so  much, 
immediately  after  the  rainy  season,  when  we  were  navigating  it 
in  canoes  in  Unyoro. 

"The  Sobat  has  a  third  mouth  farther  down  the  Nile,  which 
unfortunately  was  passed  without  my  knowing  it ;  but  as  it  is  so 
well  known  to  be  unimportant,  the  loss  was  not  great. 

"Next  to  be  treated  of  is  the  famous  Blue  Nile,  which  we 
found  a  miserable  river,  even  when  compared  with  the  Geraffe 
branch  of  the  Sobat.  It  is  very  broad  at  the  mouth,  it  is  true, 
but  so  shallow  that  our  vessel  with  difficulty  was  able  to  come  up 
it.  It  had  all  the  appearance  of  a  mountain  stream,  subject  to 
great  periodical  fluctuations.  I  was  never  more  disappointed 
than  with  this  river ;  if  the  White  river  was  cut  off  from  it,  its 
waters  would  all  be  absorbed  before  they  could  reach  Lower 
Egypt. 

"The  Atbara  river,  which  is  the  last  affluent,  was  more  like 
the  Blue  river  than  any  of  the  other  affluents,  being  decidedly  a 
mountain  stream,  which  floods  in  the  rains,  but  runs  nearly  dry 
in  the  dry  season. 

"I  had  now  seen  quite  enough  to  satisfy  myself  that  the  White 
river,  which  issues  from  the  lake  at  the  Ripon  Falls,  is  the  true 
or  parent  Nile  ;  for  in  every  instance  of  its  branching,  it  carried 
the  palm  with  it  in  the  distinctest  manner,  viewed,  as  all  the 
streams  were  by  me,  in  the  dry  season,  which  is  the  best  time 
for  estimating  their  relative  perennial  values." 

Of  the  original  number  of  three  hundred  porters,  guides  and 
interpreters,  only  eighteen  remained  faithful  and  returned  with 
Capt.  Speke  to  Alexandria.  These  were  well  provided  for,  and 
greatly  lionized  by  the  English  residents  of  that  city,  who  took 
them  to  places  of  amusement,  gave  them  liberal  purses,  and  then 
returned  them  to  Zanzibar,  to  remain  under  the  protection  of  the 
English  consul  there. 

Speke  proved  himself  to  be  a  good  traveler,  in  some  respects 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  121 

superior  to  those  who  preceded  him  or  came  after,  for  he 
managed  so  well  as  to  avoid  collisions  with  the  natives,  and 
to  leave  Africa  with  the  good  will  of  all  its  savage  kings  and 
chiefs,  all  of  whom  were  treated  with  kindly  consideration  and 
bettered  by  reason  of  his  visit  among  them. 


EXPEDITION  OF 

SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OFF   FOR   THE    NILE. 

SAMUEL  WHITE  BAKER,  subsequently  knighted  in  recognition 
of  his  services  as  an  African  explorer,  thus  begins  the  account  of 
his  first  expedition  up  the  Nile  : 

"In  March,  1861,  I  commenced  an  expedition  to  discover  the 
sources  of  the  Nile,  with  the  hope  of  meeting  the  East  African 
expedition  of  Captains  Speke  and  Grant,  that  had  been  sent 
by  the  English  Government  from  the  South,  via  Zanzibar, 
for  that  object.  I  had  not  the  presumption  to  publish  my 
intention,  as  the  sources  of  the  Nile  had  hitherto  defied  all 
explorers,  but  I  had  inwardly  determined  to  accomplish  this 
difficult  task  or  die  in  the  attempt.  From  my  youth  I  had  been 
inured  to  hardships  and  endurance  in  wild  sports  in  tropical 
climates,  and  when  I  gazed  upon  the  map  of  Africa,  I  had  a  wild 
hope,  mingled  with  humility,  that,  even  as  the  insignificant  worm 
bores  through  the  hardest  oak,  I  might  by  perseverance  reach  the 
heart  of  Africa. 


122 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


"  I  could  not  conceive  that  anything  in  the  world  had  power 
to  resist  a  determined  will,  so  long  as  health  and  life  remained. 
The  failure  of  every  former  attempt  to  reach  the  Nile's  source, 


did  not  astonish  me,  as  the  expeditions  had  consisted  of  parties 
which,  when  difficulties  occur,  generally  end  in  difference  of 
opinion  and  retreat ;  I  therefore  determined  to  proceed  alone, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  123 

trusting  in  the  guidance  of  a  Divine  Providence,  and  the  good 
fortune  that  sometimes  attends  tenacity  of  purpose.  I  weighed 
carefully  the  chances  of  the  undertaking.  Before  me — untrodden 
Africa ;  against  me — the  obstacles  that  had  defeated  the  world 
since  its  creation  ;  on  my  side — a  somewhat  tough  constitution, 
perfect  independence,  a  long  experience  in  savage  life,  and  both 
time  and  means  which  I  intended  to  devote  to  the  object  without 
limit.  England  had  never  sent  an  expedition  to  the  Nile  sources 
previous  to  that  under  the  command  of  Speke  and  Grant. 
Bruce,  ninety  years  ago,  had  succeeded  in  tracing  the  source  of 
the  Blue  or  Lesser  Nile :  thus  the  honor  of  that  discovery 
belonged  to  Great  Britain  ;  Speke  was  on  his  road  from  the 
South,  and  I  felt  confident  that  my  gallant  friend  would  leave 
his  bones  upon  the  path  rather  than  submit  to  failure.  I  trusted 
that  England  would  not  be  beaten  ;  and  although  I  hardly  dared 
to  hope  that  I  could  succeed  where  others  greater  than  I  had 
failed,  I  determined  to  sacrifice  all  in  the  attempt.  Had  I  been 
alone  it  would  have  been  no  hard  lot  to  die  upon  the  untrodden 
path  before  me  ;  but  there  was  one  who,  although  my  greatest 
comfort,  was  also  my  greatest  care  ;  one  whose  life  yet  dawned 
at  so  early  an  age  that  womanhood  was  still  a  future.  I  shud- 
dered at  the  prospect  for  her  should  she  be  left  alone  in  savage 
lands  at  my  death  ;  and  gladly  would  I  have  left  her  in  the 
luxuries  of  home  instead  of  exposing  her  to  the  miseries  of 
Africa.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  implored  her  to  remain,  and  that  I 
painted  the  difficulties  and  perils  still  blacker  than  I  supposed 
they  really  would  be  :  she  was  resolved,  with  woman's  constancy 
and  devotion,  to  share  all  dangers  and  to  follow  me  through 
each  rough  footstep  of  the  wild  life  before  me.  And  Ruth  said, 
'  Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  or  to  return  from  following  after 
thee :  for  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou  lodgest 
I  will  lodge  ;  thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  rny 
God :  where  thou  diest  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried  : 
the  Lord  do  so  to  me  and  more  also,  if  aught  but  death  part 
thee  and  me.' 

"Thus  accompanied  by  my  wife,  on  the  15th  of  April,  1861, 


124  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

I  sailed  up  the  Nile  from  Cairo.  The  wind  blev/  fair  and  strong 
from  the  north,  and  we  flew  towards  the  south  against  the 
stream,  watching  those  mysterious  waters  with  a  firm  resolve  to 
track  them  to  their  distant  fountain." 

When  Baker  arrived  at  Berber,  he  found  that  a  knowledge  of 
Arabic  was  essential  to  his  success,  and  therefore  devoted  the 
first  year  to  exploring  affluents  of  the  Nile  from  the  Abyssinian 
range  of  mountains,  which  gave  him  a  very  excellent  means  for 
acquiring  the  language,  as  association  is  a  better  school  than 
study. 

STARTING   FOR   THE    NILE    SOURCE. 

HAVING  made  himself  familiar  with  Arabic,  as  did  also  his 
wife,  Baker  prepared,  in  December,  1862,  to  proceed  with  his 
original  purpose.  The  principal  requirement  now  was  a  force  of 
arms-bearers  and  sailors.  This  preparation  had  to  be  made  at 
Khartoum,  where  many  men  could  be  had,  but  they  were  gener- 
ally of  a  dissolute  and  perfidious  character.  However,  he  enlisted 
ninety-six  men,  forty  of  whom  he  armed  with  double-barreled 
guns  and  rifles,  forty  others  were  sailors,  and  the  remainder 
servants.  He  had  three  boats  specially  built,  which  he  loaded 
with  twenty-one  donkeys,  four  camels  and  four  horses,  hoping 
these  would  render  him  independent  of  porters,  who  are  so  given 
to  desertion.  Each  man  received  five  months'  wages  in  advance, 
and  just  before  starting  they  were  treated  to  an  entertainment, 
at  which  they  had  an  abundance  to  eat  and  drink. 

Everything  was  now  ready  for  the  departure,  all  the  supplies 
and  animals  having  been  taken  on  board,  and  the  men  at  their 
several  posts,  when  an  officer  arrived  from  Divan  to  demand  a 
poll-tax  from  Baker  for  each  of  his  men,  equal  to  one  month's 
wages  per  head,  threatening  to  detain  the  boats  if  it  was  not 
paid  forthwith.  Baker  ordered  his  captain  to  hoist  the  British 
flag  upon  each  of  the  boats,  and  then  answered  the  demand  by 
declaring  that  he  was  neither  a  Turk  nor  a  trader,  but  an  English 
explorer,  and  therefore  not  responsible  for  the  tax,  and  that  if 
any  officialattempted  to  board  his  boats  he  would  take  pleasure, 
in  the  name  of  Great  Britain,  in  throwing  him  overboard.  The 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

tax-gatherer  made  no  effort  to  force  a  collection,  but    quietly 
departed. 

A  FIGHT. 

THE  boats  were  now  got  under  way,  but  had  moved  only  a 
short  distance  when  a  government  boat  came  sailing  swiftly  down 
the  river  and  in  a  most  reckless  manner  crushed  into  Baker's 
boat,  breaking  the  oars  and  otherwise  damaging  it.  The  reis, 
or  captain,  instead  of  apologizing,  broke  forth  in  the  wildest 
abuse  and  invectives,  positively  refusing  to  make  reparation  for 
the  damage  done,  and  dared  any  one  of  Baker's  men  to  come  on 
board.  This  captain  of  the  government  boat  was  a  gigantic 
black,  so  conscious  of  his  physical  powers  that  he  felt  a  savage 
pride  in  parading  them.  As  the  boats  had  fallen  foul  of  each 
other,  Baker  brushed  aside  his  men  and  stepped  over  to  the  gov- 
ernment vessel,  where  the  muscular  black  stood  ready  to  receive 
him.  A  fight  took  place  between  the  two,  with  natural  weapons, 
in  which  Baker  pommeled  his  adversary  so  soundly  that  the 
black  captain  was  exceedingly  glad  to  escape  further  punishment 
by  giving  Baker  new  oars  in  the  place  of  those  that  were  broken 
and  to  abjectly  apologize  for  his  conduct. 

The  expedition  met  with  no  further  embarrassments  and  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river  for  Goudokoro,  which  is  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion on  the  Nile. 

THE    FIRST    DEATH. 

IN  the  party  engaged  at  Khartoum  was  an  adventurous  German 
named  John  Schmidt.  He  had  been  an  old  hunter  in  India,  well 
experienced  in  tropical  sports  and  exposures,  and  a  most  service- 
able man  with  such  an  expedition  as  Bakernow  commanded,  but 
the  poor  fellow  was  badly  afflicted  with  consumption.  He  was 
very  anxious  to  accompany  Baker,  feeling  that  such  a  journey 
would  improve  his  health,  which  he  did  not  believe  was  seriously 
impaired.  Baker  tried  hard  to  ad.vise  him  against  such  an  under- 
taking, dwelling  upon  the  extreme  hardships  which  he  must 
certainly  suffer;  but  Schmidt  was  determined,  and  Baker,  on 
the  ground  of  old  comradeship,  finally  consented  to  take  him, 


126  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

especially  since  he  had  rendered  such  excellent  service  in  prepar- 
ing for  the  departure. 

Baker's  diary,  which  was  kept  throughout  the  long  journey, 
shows  how  poor  Schmidt  began  to  fail,  though  his  great  energy 
kept  him  from  giving  up  for  a  long  time,  but  the  struggle  grew 
less  until  the  year  began  to  fade  out,  when  with  it  sped  the  brave 
spirit.  Baker's  chronicle  of  this  event  is  as  follows  : 

"Johann  is  in  a  dying  state,  but  sensible  ;  all  his  hopes,  poor 
fellow, -of  saving  money  in  my  service  and  returning  to  Bavaria 
are  past.  I  sat  by  his  bed  for  some  hours  ;  there  was  not  a  ray 
of  hope ;  he  could  speak  with  difficulty,  and  the  flies  walked 
across  his  glazed  eyeballs  without  his  knowledge.  Gently  bathing 
his  face  and  hands,  I  asked  him  if  I  could  deliver  any  message 
to  his  relatives.  He  faintly  uttered,  '  I  am  prepared  to  die  ;  I 
have  neither  parents  nor  relations  ;  but  there  is  one — she  ' — he 
faltered.  He  could  not  finish  his  sentence,  but  his  dying  thoughts 
were  with  one  he  loved  ;  far,  far  away  from  this  wild  and  miser- 
able land.  Did  not  a  shudder  pass  over  her,  a  chill  warning  at 
that  sad  moment  when  all  was  passing  away?  I  pressed  his  cold 
hand  and  asked  her  name.  Gathering  his  remaining  strength  he 
murmured,  '  Es  bleibt  nur  zu  sterben.'  <Ieh  bin  sehr  dankbar.' 
These  were  the  last  words  he  spoke,  '  I  am  very  grateful.'  I 
gazed  sorrowfully  at  his  attenuated  figure,  and  at  the  now  pow- 
erless hand  that  had  laid  low  many  an  elephant  and  lion  in  its  day 
of  strength ;  and  the  cold  sweat  of  death  lay  thick  upon  his 
forehead.  Although  the  pulse  was  not  yet  still,  Johann  was 
gone.  I  made  a  huge  cross  with  my  own  hands  from  the  trunk 
of  a  tamarind  tree,  and  by  moonlight  we  laid  him  in  his  grave  in 
this  lonely  spot.'' 

"  No  useless  coffin  enclosed  his  breast, 

Nor  in  sheet  nor  in  shroud  we  wound  him  ; 
But  he  lay  like  a  Pilgrim  taking  his  rest, 
With  his  mantle  drawn  around  him." 

A    FATAL    BUFFALO    HUNT. 

ON  the  evening  of  January  9th,  while  the  boats  were  moving 
at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour  against  the  current,  a  buffalo 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  127 

was  sighted  in  the  deep  grass  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the 
river.  As  meat  was  scarce,  Baker  had  the  boats  run  to  bank, 
and  as  the  buffalo's  head  appeared  above  the  grass  he  fired,  and 
the  animal  dropped  as  if  struck  dead.  Several  of  the  men  ran 
pell-mell  after  it,  and  as  the  beast  still  appeared  to  be  dead, 
instead  of  falling  to  at  once  and  cutting  it  up,  they  danced  about 
it  in  savage  delight,  one  holding  its  tail  while  another  danced  on 
the  body  brandishing  his  knife.  Suddenly  the  buffalo  jumped 
up,  scattered  the  blacks,  and  ran  off  into  a  morass,  where  it  fell 
again.  The  boats  tied  up  for  the  night,  and  on  the  following 
morning  the  groans  of  the  wounded  animal  could  plainly  be 
heard.  About  forty  of  the  men  now  took  their  guns  and  waded 
knee-deep  through  mud,  water  and  high  grass  in  search  of  it. 
One  hour  after  Baker  heard  shouting  and  shooting,  which  lasted 
fully  twenty  minutes  ;  by  aid  of  the  telescope  he  could  see  a 
crowd  of  his  men  standing  on  an  ant-hill  three  hundred  yards 
distant,  from  which  point  they  were  still  shooting  at  some  indis- 
tinguishable object.  The  death-howl  then  followed,  and  the  men 
were  seen  to  rush  down  from  their  secure  position,  and  directly 
afterward  returned  to  the  boats,  carrying  the  dead  and  mangled 
body  of  Sali  Achmet,  Baker's  most  valuable  man.  It  transpired 
that  this  man  had  been  attacked  by  the  wounded  buffalo  and 
killed  in  sight  of  his  comrades,  who  were  too  cowardly  to  render 
him  any  assistance.  The  poor  fellow  was  horribly  mangled,  and, 
as  usual  with  buffaloes,  the  furious  beast  had  not  rested  content 
until  it  pounded  the  breath  out  of  the  body,  which  was  found 
imbedded  and  trampled  so  tightly  in  the  mud  that  only  a  portion 
of  the  head  appeared  above  the  marsh. 

In  relating  the  story  to  Baker,  the  men  stated  that  three  men 
were  with  Sali  when  the  buffalo  charged  him,  but  that  the 
cowards  bolted  without  firing  a  gun,  and  took  position  on  an  ant- 
hill, from  which  they  saw  their  comrade  tossed  into  the  air  and 
heard  his  distressing  cries  for  help  without  responding.  This 
was  a  fair  sample  of  the  courage  of  the  native  Africans,  who 
exalt  their  bravery  when  danger  is  not  near,  but  who  nju  like 
sheep  at  the  first  intimation  of  peril. 


128  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  buffalo  was  found  dead  from  exhaustion,  its  shoulder 
having  been  broken,  and  was  secured,  while  poor  Sali  was 
buried  according  to  the  usages  of  his  countrymen.  The  boats 
were  then  got  underway  again . 

MEETING   WITH   A    STRANGE    PEOPLE. 

ON  the  13th  of  January  the  expedition  stopped  near  a  village 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  The  natives  came  down  to  the 
boats, — they  were  something  superlative  in  the  way  of  savages  ; 
the  men  as  naked  as  they  came  into  the  world  ;  their  bodies 
rubbed  with  ashes,  and  their  hair  stained  red  by  a  plaster 
of  ashes  and  cow's  urine.  Baker  says  these  fellows  were  the 
most  unearthly-looking  devils  he  ever  saw — there  was  no  other 
expression  for  them.  The  unmarried  women  were  also  entirely 
naked ;  the  married  had  a  fringe  made  of  grass  around  their 
loins.  The  men  wore  heavy  coils  of  beads  about  their  necks, 
two  heavy  bracelets  of  ivory  on  the  upper  portion  of  the  arms, 
copper  rings  upon  the  wrists,  and  a  horrible  kind  of  bracelet  of 
massive  iron  armed  with  spikes  about  an  inch  in  length,  like 
leopard's  claws,  which  they  used  for  a  similar  purpose.  The 
chief  of  the  Nuehr  village,  Joctian,  with  his  wife  and  daughter, 
paid  a  visit  to  the  boats,  and  asked  for  all  they  saw  in  the  shape 
of  beads  and  bracelets,  but  declined  a  knife  as  useless*  They 
went  away  delighted  with  their  presents.  The  women  were  very 
ugly.  The  men  were  tall  and  powerful,  armed  with  lances. 
They  carried  pipes  that  contained  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
tobacco,  in  which  they  smoked  simple  charcoal  should  the  loved 
tobacco  fail.  The  carbonic  acid  gas  of  the  charcoal  produces  a 
slight  feeling  of  intoxication,  which  is  the  effect  desired.  Baker 
took  the  chief's  portrait ;  of  course  he  was  delighted.  In  reply 
to  a  question  as  to  the  use  of  the  spiked  iron  bracelet,  he 
exhibited  his  wife's  arms  and  back  covered  with  jagged  scars. 
Charming  people,  these  poor  blacks  !  He  was  quite  proud  of 
having  clawed  his  wife  like  a  wild  beast. 

NOVEL    CONTEST    WITH    A    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

ON  the  15th  of  January,  while  the  men  ashore  were  drawing 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


129 


the  boats,  their  heads  being  invisible  on  account   of    the  tall 
grass,   a   hippopotamus    was    frightened    out   of   his   lair  and 


appeared  directly  under  the  bow  of  the  boat.     In  an  instant, 
about  twenty  men,  thinking  the  animal  an  infant  one,  jumped 
overboard  to  grapple  with  it,  but  as  the  supposed  baby  suddenly 
9 


130  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

appeared  again  about  three  times  as  large  as  they  expected  it  was, 
they  showed  no  further  eagerness  to  close  with  it.  However, 
the  captain  of  the  boat,  more  courageous  than  the  rest,  pluckily 
seized  the  hippopotamus  by  one  of  its  hind  legs,  whereupon  the 
others  rushed  in  and  a  grand  tussle  followed.  Ropes  were 
thrown  from  the  boat  and  nooses  slipped  over  the  animal's  head, 
but  these  efforts  for  its  capture  were  so  futile  that  the  hippopot- 
amus swam  rapidly  toward  midstream  and  would  have  carried 
everything  with  it,  had  not  Baker  put  an  end  to  the  sport  by 
shooting  the  beast. 

He  was  scored  all  over  by  the  tusks  of  some  other  hippopot- 
amus that  had  been  bullying  him.  The  men  declared  that  his 
father  had  thus  misused  him  ;  others  were  of  opinion  that  it  was 
his  mother  ;  and  the  argument  ran  high  and  became  hot.  These 
Arabs  have  an  extraordinary  taste  for  arguments  upon  the  most 
trifling  points.  Baker  says  he  has  frequently  known  his  men  to 
argue  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and  commence 
the  same  argument  on  the  following  morning.  These  debates 
generally  end  in  a  fight ;  and  in  the  present  instance  the  excite- 
ment of  the  hunt  only  added  to  the  heat  of  the  argument.  They 
at  length  agreed  to  refer  it  to  the  master,  and  both  parties  ap- 
proached, vociferously  advancing  their  theories  ;  one-half  persist- 
ing that  the  young  hippo  had  been  bullied  by  his  father,  and  the 
others  adhering  to  the  mother  as  the  cause.  Baker,  being  ref- 
eree, suggested  that  "  perhaps  it  was  his  uncle.'9  *'  Wah  Illahi 
sahe !"  (By  Allah,  it  is  true!)  Both  parties  were  satisfied 
with  the  suggestion  ;  dropping  their  theory  they  became  practical , 
and  fell  to  with  knives  and  axes  to  cut  up  the  cause  of  the  argu- 
ment. The  hippopotamus  was  as  fat  as  butter,  and  was  a  per- 
fect godsend  to  the  people,  who  divided  him  with  great  excite- 
ment and  good  humor. 

A  STRANGE  RACE  OF  PEOPLE. 

ON  the  19th  of  January  the  boats  emerged  from  the  apparently 
endless  region  of  marsh-grass  and  saw  on  the  right  bank  a  large 
herd  of  grazing  cattle  tended  by  naked  natives.  This  proved  to 
be  the  Kytch  country,  a  tribe  of  the  most  strange  and  singular 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  131 

people  that  can  be  found  in  Africa.  At  the  principal  station, 
Zareebo,  one  of  the  natives  generously  offered  Baker  a  bullock, 
which  he  refused,  until  he  saw  that  the  man  was  affronted. 
Notwithstanding  the  vast  herds  of  cattle  these  people  own,  their 
misery  is  beyond  description.  They  will  not  kill  their  cattle,  nor 
do  they  ever  taste  meat  unless  an  animal  dies  of  sickness  ;  neither 
will  they  work,  and  thus  starvation  is  common  among  them,  as 
they  exist  almost  wholly  upon  rats,  lizards,  snakes  and  h'.sh. 
They  capture  fish  by  means  of  a  harpoon,  which  is  a  neatly  made 
instrument,  attached  to  a  reed  pole  about  twenty  feet  in  length, 
and  secured  by  a  long  line.  They  cast  the  harpoon  haphazard, 
anywhere  among  the  reeds,  without  regard  for  signs  of  fish  ; 
thus  they  may  make  and  do  make  hundreds  of  casts  before 
striking  a  fish.  Occasionally,  but  always  by  accident,  they  har- 
poon species  of  fish  weighing  as  much  as  two  hundred  pounds  ; 
and  in  such  an  event  a  long  and  exciting  chase  ensues,  for  the 
fish  carries  away  the  harpoon  and  the  spearman  has  to  swim  with 
the  line  and  play  with  the  fish  until  it  is  tired  out. 

Baker  was  introduced  to  the  chief  of  the  Kytch  tribe,  and  he 
describes  him  and  his  people  as  follows:  "  The  chief  of  the 
Kytch  people  wore  a  leopard  skin  across  his  shoulders,  and  a 
skull-cap  of  white  beads,  with  a  crest  of  ostrich  feathers ;  but 
the  mantle  was  merely  slung  over  his  shoulders,  and  all  other 
parts  of  his  person  were  naked.  His  daughter  was  the  best- 
looking  girl  that  I  have  seen  among  the  blacks  ;  she  was  about 
sixteen.  Her  clothing  consisted  of  a  little  piece  of  dressed 
hide,  about  a  foot  wide,  slung  across  her  sJioulders,  all  other 
parts  being  exposed.  All  the  girls  of  this  country  wear  merely 
a  circlet  of  little  iron  jingling  ornaments  round  their  waist. 
They  came  in  numbers,  bringing  small  bundles  of  wood  to  ex- 
change for  a  few  handfuls  of  corn.  Most  of  the  men  are  tall, 
but  wretchedly  thin  ;  the  children  are  mere  skeletons,  and  the 
entire  tribe  appears  thoroughly  starved.  The  language  is  that 
of  the  Dinka.  The  chief  carried  a  curious  tobacco-box,  an  iron 
spike  about  two  feet  long,  with  a  hollow  socket,  bound  with 
iguana-skin ;  this  served  for  either  tobacco-box,  club,  or  dagger. 


(32 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


The   whole  day  we  were  beset  by  crowds  of  starving  people, 
bringing  small  gourd-shells  to  receive  the  expected  corn." 

Among  the  Kytch  polygamy  is,  of  course  common.  "When  a 
man  becomes  too  old  for  his  several  wives  his  eldest  son  becomes 
his  substitute. 


THE  CHIEF  AND  HIS  DAUGHTER. 
FIGHTING    BLACK   AMAZONS.  % 

SHORTLY  after  leaving  the  Kytch  country,  «,  squall  of  wind 
came  up,  which  took  away  one  mast  of  the  best  boat  and  left  it 
a  wreck.  Baker  had  now  to  proceed  entirely  by  cordelling, 
which  process  was  very  slow  and  not  without  danger  to  the  men, 
who  had  to  wade  through  marshes  in  which  were  numerous  croc- 
odiles, snakes  and  hippopotami ;  besides,  the  country  was  filled 
with  malaria,  mosquitoes  and  a  sultry  atmosphere.  Thus  day  by 
cay  passed,  and  but  for  one  incident  the  monotony  of  the  journey 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  133 

would  have  been  vexatiously  wearisome.  This  diversion  was 
afforded,  strange  enough,  l>y  the  fighting  black  women  on  board, 
who  worried,  quarreled  and  scratched  like  Gehenna  cats.  Among 
these  was  one  little  black  terrier  named  Gaddum  Her,  very  short, 
but  wonderfully  strong  and  plucky  ;  she  was  the  embodiment  of 
long-cultivated  vice,  and  was  always  spoiling  for  a  fight.  On 
one  occasion  this  little  wretch  fought  with  another  of  her  tribe 
until  they  rolled  all  over  the  boat,  and  finally  down  into  the  hold, 
where  they  landed  upon  a  number  of  water-jars,  which  they 
broke.  On  the  next  day  the  fight  was  renewed,  and  did  not  end 
until  both  had  fallen  into  the  river.  This  irritability  was  not 
only  manifested  among  the  women,  but  the  donkeys,  horses  and 
camels  also  had  their  daily  fights. 

THE    ALTAB    TRIBE. 

ON  January  zoch  Baker  passed  two  bivouacs  of  Aliabs,  who 
were  tending  large  herds  of  cattle.  These  people  appeared  quite 
friendly  ;  they  were  hardly  so  bad  as  the  Kytch  tribe,  but  were 
very  low  in  the  scale  of  humanity.  They  not  only  milk  their 
cows,  but  bleed  them  every  month,  by  driving  a  lance  into  a  vein 
of  the  neck,  and  boil  the  blood  for  food.  Living  in  a  country 
where  mosquitoes  are  so  numerous,  they  make  tumuli  of  dung, 
which  are  kept  constantly  on  fire,  fresh  fuel  being  added  as  fast 
as  wasted  ;  this  burns  like  smudge,  producing  a  heavy  smoke 
that  drives  the  mosquitoes  away.  Around  these  smouldering 
dung-heaps  the  cattle  crowd  in  hundreds,  living  with  the  natives 
in  the  smoke.  By  degrees  the  heaps  of  ashes  become  about 
eight  feet  high  ;  they  are  then  used  as  sleeping  places  and  watch 
stations  by  the  natives,  who,  rubbing  themselves  all  over  with 
the  ashes,  have  a  ghastly  and  devilish  appearance  positively  hor- 
rible to  look  upon. 

THE    SHIR   TRIBE. 

Two  days  later,  Baker  came  upon  the  Shir  tribe,  which  he 
describes  as  follows  :  «'  The  men  are,  as  usual  in  these  countries, 
armed  with  well-made  ebony  clubs,  two  lances,  a  bow  (always 
strung),  and  a  bundle  of  arrows ;  their  hands  are  completely  full 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  135 

of  weapons  ;  and  they  carry  a  neatly  made  miniature  stool  slung 
upon  their  backs,  in  addition  to  an  immense  pipe.  Thus  a  man 
carries  all  that  he  most  values  about  his  person.  The  females  in 
this  tribe  are  not  absolutely  naked  ;  like  those  of  the  Kytch,  they 
wear  small  lappets  of  tanned  leather  as  broad  as  the  hand  ;  at 
the  back  of  the  belt,  which  supports  this  apron,  is  a  tail  which 
reaches  to  the  lower  portions  of  the  thighs  ;  this  tail  is  formed  of 
finely-cut  strips  of  leather,  and  the  costume  has  doubtless  been 
the  foundation  for  the  report  I  had  received  from  the  Arabs, 
that  a  tribe  in  Central  Africa  had  tails  like  horses.  The  women 
carry  their  children  very  conveniently  in  a  skin  slung  from  their 
shoulders  across  the  back,  and  secured  by  a  thong  round  the 
waist ;  in  this  the  young  savage  sits  delightfully.  The  huts 
throughout  all  tribes  are  circular,  with  entrances  so  low  that  the 
natives  creep  both  in  and  out  upon  their  hands  and  knees.  The 
men  wear  tufts  of  cock's  feathers  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  and 
their  favorite  attitude,  when  standing,  is  on  one  leg  while  leaning 
on  a  spear,  the  foot  of  the  raised  leg  resting  on  the  inside  of  the 
other  knee.  Their  arrows  are  about  three  feet  long,  without 
feathers,  and  pointed  with  bard  wood  instead  of  iron,  the  metal 
being  scarce  among  the  Shir  tribe.  The  most  valuable  article  of 
barter  for  this  tribe  is  the  iron  hoe  generally  used  among  the 
White  Nile  negroes.  Tn  form  it  is  precisely  similar  to  the  'ace 
of  spades.'  The  finery  most  prized  by  the  women  are  polished 
iron  anklets,  which  they  wear  in  such  numbers  that  they  reach 
nearly  half-way  up  the  calf  of  the  leg ;  the  tinkling  of  these 
rings  is  considered  to  be  very  enticing,  but  the  sound  reminds 
one  of  the  clanking  of  convicts'  fetters." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ARRIVAL    AT    GONDOKORO. 

ON  the  1st  of  February  Baker  arrived  at  Gondokoro,  which  is 
a  Turkish  slave  and  trading  station,  composed  of  miserable  little 
grass  huts  and  the  ruins  of  an  old  mission.  Here  a  long  stay 
was  made,  waiting  the  arrival  of  a  Turkish  trader  from  the 
interior,  whom  Baker  hoped  to  accompany  on  the  return  to 
Central  Africa. 

The  natives  of  Gondokoro  belong  to  the  Bari  tribe,  a  singular 
people  who  have  become  savage  in  their  nature  by  contact  with 
the  barbarous  Turks.  Their  dwellings  are  very  cleanly,  but  far 
from  picturesque.  The  domicile  of  each  family  is  surrounded  by 
a  hedge  of  impenetrable  thickness,  and  the  interior  of  the 
enclosure  usually  consists  of  a  yard  neatly  plastered  with  a 
cement  of  ashes,  cow-dung  and  sand.  The  huts  have  projecting 
roofs,  in  order  to  afford  shade,  and  the  entrance  is  only  about 
two  feet  high. 

CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE    BARI    TRIBE. 

WHEN  a  member  of  the  family  dies  he  is  buried  in  the  yard  ;  a 
few  ox-horns  and  skulls  are  suspended  on  a  pole  above  the  spot, 
while  the  top  of  the  pole  is  ornamented  with  a  bunch  of  cock's 
feathers.  Every  man  carries  his  weapons,  pipe,  and  stool,  the 
whole  (except  the  stool)  being  held  between  his  legs  when 
standing.  The  men  are  well  grown,  the  women  are  not  prepos- 
sessing, but  the  negro  type  of  thick  lips  and  flat  nose  is  wanting  ; 
the  features  are  good,  and  the  woolly  hair  alone  denotes  the 
trace  of  negro  blood.  They  are  tattooed  upon  the  stomach, 
sides,  and  back  so  closely  that  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  brow* 
belt  of  fish-scales,  especially  when  they  are  rubbed  with  red 
ochre,  which  is  the  prevailing  fashion.  This  pigment  is  made 
of  a  peculiar  clay,  rich  in  oxide  of  iron,  which,  when  burnt,  is 
reduced  to  powder,  and  then  formed  into  lumps  like  pieces  of 
soap  ;  both  sexes  anoint  themselves  with  this  ochre,  formed  into 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  137 

a  paste  by  the  admixture  of  grease,  giving  themselves  the  ap- 
pearance of  new  red  bricks.  The  only  hair  upon  their  persons 
is  a  small  tuft  upon  the  crown  of  the  head,  in  which  they  stick 
one  or  more  feathers.  The  women  are  generally  free  from  hair, 
their  heads  being  shaved.  They  wear  a  neat  little  lappet,  about 
six  inches  long,  of  beads,  or  of  small  iron  rings,  worked  like  a 
coat  of  mail,  in  lieu  of  a  fig-leaf,  and  the  usual  tail  of  fine  shreds 
of  leather  or  twine,  spun  from  indigenous  cotton,  pendant  be- 
hind. Both  the  lappet  and  tail  are  fastened  on  a  belt,  which  is 
worn  round  the  loins,  like  those  in  the  Shir  tribe  ;  thus  the  toil- 
ette is  completed  at  once.  It  would  be  highly  useful,  could  they 
only  wag  their  tails  to  whisk  off  the  flies,  which  are  torments  in 
this  country. 

The  cattle  are  very  small ;  the  goats  and  sheep  are  quite  Lilli- 
putian, but  they  generally  give  three  at  a  birth,  and  thus  mul- 
tiply quickly.  The  people  of  the  country  were  formerly  friendly, 
but  the  Khartourners  pillage  and  murder  them  at  discretion  in 
all  directions  ;  thus,  in  revenge,  they  will  shoot  a  poisoned  arrow 
at  a  stranger  unless  he  is  powerfully  escorted.  The  effect  of 
the  poison  used  for  the  arrow-heads  is  very  extraordinary.  A 
man  came  to  Baker  for  medical  aid  ;  five  months  before  he  had 
been  wounded  by  a  poisoned  arrow  in  the  leg,  below  the  calf, 
and  the  entire  foot  had  been  eaten  away  by  the  action  of  the 
poison.  The  bone  rotted  through  just  above  the  ankle,  and  the 
foot  dropped  off.  The  most  violent  poison  is  the  produce  of 
the  root  of  a  tree,  whose  milky  juice  yields  a  resin  that  is 
smeared  upon  the  arrow.  It  is  brought  from  a  great  distance, 
from  some  country  far  west  of  Gondokoro.  The  juice  of  the 
species  of  euphorbia,  common  in  these  countries,  is  also  used 
for  poisoning  arrows.  Boiled  to  the  consistence  of  tar,  it  is  then 
smeared  upon  the  blade.  The  action  of  the  poison  is  to  corrode 
the  flesh,  which  loses  its  fibre,  and  drops  away  like  jelly,  after 
severe  inflammation  and  swelling.  The  arrows  are  barbed  with 
diabolical  ingenuity ;  some  are  arranged  with  poisoned  heads  that 
fit  into  sockets  ;  these  detach  from  the  arrow  on  an  attempt  to 
withdraw  them ;  thus  the  barbed  blade,  thickly  smeared  with 


138  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

poison,  remains  in  the  wound,  and  before  it  can  be  cut  out  the 
poison  is  absorbed  by  the  system.  Fortunately  the  natives  are 
bad  archers.  The  bows  are  invariably  made  of  the  male  bam- 
boo, and  are  kept  perpetually  strung;  they  are  exceedingly  stiff, 
but  not  very  elastic,  and  the  arrows  are  devoid  of  feathers,  being 
simple  reeds  or  other  light  wood,  about  three  feet  long,  and 
slightly  knobbed  at  the  base  as  a  hold  for  the  finger  and  thumb  ; 
the  string  is  never  drawn  with  the  two  fore-fingers,  as  in  most 
countries,  but  is  simply  pulled  by  holding  the  arrow  between  the 
middle  joint  of  the  fore-finger  and  the  thumb.  A  stiff  bow 
drawn  in  this  manner  has  very  little  power  ;  accordingly  the  ex- 
treme range  seldom  exceeds  a  hundred  and  ten  yards. 

The  Ban  tribe  are  very  hostile,  and  are  considered  to  be  about 
the  worst  of  the  White  Nile.  They  have  been  so  of  ten  defeated 
by  the  traders'  parties  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Gondo- 
koro,  that  they  are  on  their  best  behavior  while  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  station  ;  but  it  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to  be  asked  for 
beads  as  a  tax  for  the  right  of  sitting  under  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
or  for  passing  through  the  country.  The  traders'  people,  in 
order  to  terrify  them  into  submission,  were  in  the  habit  of  bind- 
ing them,  hands  and  feet,  and  carrying  them  to  the  edge  of  a  cliff 
about  thirty  feet  high,  a  little  beyond  the  ruins  of  the  mission 
house  ;  beneath  this  cliff  the  river  boils  in  an  eddy,  and  into  this 
watery  grave  the  victims  were  remorselessly  hurled  as  food  for  the 
crocodiles.  It  appeared  that  this  punishment  was  dreaded  by  the 
natives  more  than  the  bullet  or  rope,  and  it  was  accordingly 
adopted  by  the  Turkish  trading  parties. 

BAKER'S  TROUBLE  IN  GONDOKORO. 

BAKER  was  regarded  by  the  Turks  in  Gondokoro  as  an  intruder 
or  as  a  spy  sent  by  England  to  obtain  information  concerning  the 
slave  trade ;  they  therefore  set  about  to  create  dissatisfaction 
among  his  men  and  to  annoy  him  into  a  hasty  departure.  The 
slaves  were  kept  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible,  being  heavily 
manacled  and  confined  in  close  stockades.  There  were  about  six 
hundred  traders  in  the  town,  who  spent  their  leisure  drinking, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  139 

quarreling  and  maltreating  the  slaves.  The  majority  were  con- 
tinually intoxicated,  and  in  this  condition  amused  themselves  by 
promiscuous  firing  of  guns,  so  that  there  was  no  safety  from 
stray  bullets,  one  of  which  killed  a  little  boy  in  Baker's  party. 

Baker  had  remained  in  Gondokoro  only  a  short  time  before  he 
observed  a  general  discontent  among  his  men  ;  its  first  outcrop- 
ping was  a  demand  made  upon  him  for  privilege  to  steal  some 
cattle  from  the  natives  for  a  feast;  this  being  refused,  they 
threatened  to  steal  such  cattle  as  they  wanted,  regardless  of 
orders.  Baker  then  had  the  men  called  for  muster,  and  made 
them  a  sharp  address,  but  this  only  served  to  provoke  an  outburst 
of  insolence.  The  ringleader,  named  Elsar,  was  so  impertinent 
and  violent,  that  Baker  ordered  him  to  be  bound  and  given 
twenty-five  lashes.  When  an  attempt  was  made  to  enforce  this 
order,  a  large  number  of  the  men  came  to  Elsar' s  assistance  and 
a  mutiny  was  raised.  There  was  now  no  other  alternative  than 
for  Baker  himself  to  carry  out  the  order,  as  any  concessions 
would  have  entirely  destroyed  his  power  over  the  men  ;  accord- 
ingly he  attempted  to  seize  Elsar,  when  the  savage  black  rushed 
at  him  with  a  stick,  eager  for  a  fight.  Baker  accepted  the 
challenge,  and  with  a  powerful  blow  of  his  fist  knocked  him 
sprawling  on  the  ground  and  followed  up  his  advantage  by 
administering  a  severe  punishment  with  his  boot.  His  savage 
companions  suffered  their  ringleader  to  be  well  castigated, 
apparently  awed  at  Baker's  boldness  ;  but  soon  they  rallied  and 
set  upon  him  with  sticks  and  stones.  The  affair  would  no  doubt 
have  terminated  seriously  for  Baker,  had  not  his  wife,  seeing  the 
danger,  rushed  to  the  rescue,  and  by  ordering  the  drums  beaten, 
stopped  the  fray.  A  settlement  of  the  difficulty  was  effected  by 
Baker  remitting  the  further  punishment  of  Elsar  upon  condition 
that  the  mutineer  should  kiss  his  hand  and  apologize. 

This  incident  proved  to  Baker  how  unreliable  his  men  were, 
and  that  to  take  such  a  force  with  him  into  Africa  would  only 
invite  danger  and  defeat  his  objects,  although  the  men  swore 
fidelity  again,  and  Elsar  declared  that  he  would  stand  before  his 
master  and  receive  every  arrow  rather  than  have  him  injured. 


140 


THE   WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


MEETING   WITH    SPEKE    AND    GRANT. 

Two  days  after  the  mutinous  outbreak,  Baker  was  startled  by 
the  rapid  firing  of  guns  and  shouts  apparently  from  the  whole 


village. 


Rushing  out  of  his  hut  he  was  overjoyed  to  see  two 
white  men  approaching,  who,  upon  close  inspection,  proved  to 
be  his  old  friend  Capt.  Speke,  accompanied  by  Capt.  Grant,  both 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  141 

ragged,  lean  and  much  careworn.  After  embracing,  the  three 
adventurous  Englishmen  repaired  to  one  of  the  boats,  and  there, 
seated  under  an  awning,  they  talked  upon  the  one  subject  so 
absorbing  to  them  all,  namely,  the  source  of  the  Nile.  Speke 
gave  Baker  much  information  concerning  the  natives  of  the 
interior  and  the  best  routes  for  his  journey,  at  the  same  time 
encouraging  him  to  pursue  his  intended  explorations,  as  there 
were  possibly  other  sources  of  the  Nile  than  the  Victoria  lake, 
which  circumstances  had  not  permitted  him  to  seek  for.  Speke 
entertained  some  doubts  about  Victoria  lake  being  the  sole  source 
of  the  Nile,  because  he  had  been  told  by  Kamrasi  that  there  was 
a  river  or  lake  called  the  Luta  N'zige,  which  extended  in  a  direct 
line  from  south  to  north  with  the  same  general  system  of  drainage 
as  the  Nile,  and  in  like  direction,  and  which  he  believed  held  a 
very  important  position  in  the  Nile  basin.  Speke  gave  Baker  his 
maps  and  written  instructions  how  to  proceed. 

On  the  2Gth  of  February  Speke  and  Grant  sailed  from  Gon- 
dokoro  for  home,  while  Baker  at  once  proceeded  to  strike  for 
the  interior,  regardless  of  the  danger  which  threatened  him  from 
his  treacherous  force,  relying  almost  wholly  upon  the  protection 
and  assistance  of  the  Turk  Mohamed,  who  promised  to  accom- 
pany him  to  where  his  ivory  was  stored,  which  would  require  but 
a  few  days'  time. 

A   TROUBLESOME    BIRD. 

AFTER  the  departure  of  Speke  and  Grant,  Baker  moved  his 
tent  to  the  high  ground  above  the  river  ;  the  effluvium  from  the 
tilth  of  some  thousands  of  people  was  disgusting,  and  fever  was 
prevalent  in  all  quarters.  Baker  and  his  wife  were  both  sick, 
also  several  of  the  men,  one  of  whom  died.  The  animals  were 
all  healthy,  but  the  donkeys  and  camels  were  attacked  by  a  bird, 
about  the  size  of  a  thrush,  which  caused  them  great  uneasiness. 
This  bird  is  a  greenish  brown  color,  with  a  powerful  red  beak 
and  excessively  strong  claws.  It  is  a  perfect  pest  to  animals, 
and  positively  eats  holes  into  them.  The  original  object  of  the 
bird  in  settling  upon  the  animal  is  to  search  for  vermin,  but  it  is 
not  contented  with  the  mere  insects,  and  industriously  pecks 


142  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

holes  in  all  parts  of  the  beast,  more  especially  on  the  back.  A 
wound  once  established  adds  to  the  attraction,  and  the  unfortu- 
nate animal  is  so  pestered  that  it  has  no  time  to  eat.  Baker  was 
obliged  to  hire  little  boys  to  watch  the  donkeys,  and  to  drive  off 
these  plagues;  but  so  determined  and  bold  were  the  birds,  that 
they  would  run  under  the  body  of  the  donkey,  clinging  to  the 
belly  with  their  feet,  and  thus  retreating  to  the  opposite  side  of 
the  animal  when  chased  by  the  watchboys.  In  a  few  days  the 
animals  were  full  of  wounds,  excepting  the  horses,  whose  long 
tails  were  effectual  whisks.  With  the  exception  of  this  annoy- 
ance everything  appeared  in  fair  condition  for  the  journey. 
Mohamed  had  promised  to  accompany  the  expedition  through, 
in  consideration  of  such  presents  as  Baker  had  agreed  to  give 
him,  but  he  had  not  reckoned  on  the  duplicity  of  the  Arab 
scoundrel  thus  engaged.  While  professing  friendship,  he  was 
doing  all  in  his  power  to  hinder  and  defeat  Baker's  expedition, 
by  circulating  false  and  alarming  stories  among  his  ignorant  and 
superstitious  men. 

Influenced  by  these  stories,  they  began  to  evince  a  sullen 
demeanor,  which  was  not  long  developing  into  an  insurrection, 
having  for  its  purpose  the  murder  of  Baker  and  the  confiscation 
of  his  property.  It  chanced,  however,  that  among  his  force  there 
were  two  really  faithful  subjects,  one  named  Richarn,  a  fellow  of 
dissolute  habits,  but  honorable  and  trustworthy  ;  the  other  a  little 
boy  named  Saat,  only  twelve  years  of  age,  whom  Mrs.  Baker 
had  taken  compassion  on  at  Khartoum  as  a  friendless  outcast,  and 
adopted.  This  boy  had  received  some  Christian  instruction  and 
was  anxious  to  be  taught  more,  which  made  him  a  source  of 
tender  care  to  Mrs.  Baker,  and  in  return  for  this  he  was  obedient, 
loving,  ready  to  lay  down  his  innocent  life  for  his  master  and 
mistress. 

A   DREADFUL   PLOT   DISCOVERED. 

How  these  two  faithful  servants  saved  Baker's  life  is  related 
by  himself  as  follows  :  "We  were  to  start  upon  the  following 
Monday.  Mohamed  had  paid  me  a  visit,  assuring  me  of  his 
devotion,  and  begging  me  to  have  my  baggage  in  marching  order, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  143 

as  he  would  send  me  fifty  porters  on  the  Monday,  and  we  would 
move  off  in  company.  At  the  very  moment  that  he  thus  pro- 
fessed, he  was  coolly  deceiving  me.  He  had  arranged  to  start 
without  me  on  the  Saturday,  while  he  was  proposing  that  we 
should  march  together  on  Monday.  This  I  did  not  know  at  the 
time.  One  morning  I  had  returned  to  the  tent  after  having,  as 
usual,  inspected  the  transport  animals,  when  I  observed  Mrs. 
Baker  looking  extraordinarily  pale,  and  immediately  upon  my 
arrival  she  gave  orders  for  the  vakeel  (headman)  to  be  brought- 
There  was  something  in  her  manner  so  different  to  her  usual 
calm  that  I  was  utterly  bewildered  when  I  heard  her  question  the 
vakeel,  'whether  the  men  were  willing  to  march?  '  'Perfectly 
ready,'  was  the  reply.  '  Then  order  them  to  strike  the  tent  and 
load  the  animals;  we  start  this  moment.'  The  man  appeared 
confused,  but  not  more  so  than  I.  Something  was  evidently  on 
foot,  but  what  I  could  not  conjecture.  The  vakeel  wavered,  and 
to  my  astonishment  I  heard  the  accusation  made  against  him  that, 
'during  the  night,  the  whole  of  the  escort  had  mutinously  con- 
spired to  desert  me,  with  my  arms  and  ammunition  that  were  in 
their  hands,  and  to  fire  simultaneously  at  me  should  I  attempt  to 
disarm  them.'  At  first  this  charge  was  indignantly  denied,  until 
the  boy  Saat  manfully  stepped  forward,  and  declared  that  the 
conspiracy  was  entered  into  by  the  whole  of  the  escort,  and  that 
both  he  and  Hicham,  knowing  that  mutiny  was  intended,  had 
listened  purposely  to  the  conversation  during  the  night ;  at  day- 
break the  boy  bad  reported  the  fact  to  his  mistress.  Mutiny, 
robbery  and  murder  were  thus  deliberately  determined. 

Realizing  that  it  would  never  do  to  attempt  to  penetrate  Africa 
with  such  men,  Baker  determined  to  get  rid  of  them.  He  first 
disarmed  them,  with  the  assistance  of  his  courageous  wife  and 
the  faithful  Richarn  and  Saat,  and  then  gave  them  their  dis- 
charges, writing  the  word  "mutineer"  above  his  signature  on 
each  of  them.  None  of  the  men  being  able  to  read,  they  uncon- 
sciously carried  the  evidence  of  their  own  guilt,  which  he  resolved 
to  punish  should  he  ever  find  them  on  his  return  to  Khartoum. 

Most  of  the  men  that  Baker  disarmed  at  once  joined  trading 


144  THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

parties,  while  the  others  made  off  at  the  first  intimation  of  trouble 
and  were  seen  no  more.  It  was  the  expressed  intention  of  the 
mutineers  to  shoot  Baker,  which  no  doubt  would  have  been  done 
had  they  not  found  him  so  well  prepared  to  return  their  shots. 

GLOOMY  REFLECTIONS. 

HAVING  been  deserted  by  Mohamed  and  compelled  to  dis- 
charge the  force  he  had  engaged  at  Khartoum,  Baker  sent  for  a 
Circassian  chief,  named  Koorshid,  from  whom  he  requested  the 
service  of  ten  elephant  hunters  and  two  interpreters  ;  but  his 
request  was  denied,  for  the  reason  that  no  men  could  be  hired  to 
serve  under  him.  This  denial  took  away  all  hope  from  Baker, 
and  nothing  remained  for  him  to  do  but  establish  a  depot  and 
remain  at  Gondokoro  for  another  season.  No  expedition  had 
ever  been  more  carefully  planned  ;  everything  being  prepared 
under  his  own  directions  and  without  regard  for  expense,  but  the 
promise  of  success  and  reward  was  defeated  by  the  very  ones 
whom  he  had  employed  to  assist  him.  These  reflections  weighed 
heavily  upon  the  minds  of  Baker  and  his  courageous  wife. 
During  the  night  they  were  startled  by  a  succession  of  loud 
screams,  and  upon  listening  attentively,  heard  the  heavy  breath- 
ing of  something  in  their  hut ;  searching  through  the  dark,  they 
discovered  an  object  cowering  close  to  the  head  of  the  bed. 
Baker  noiselessly  drew  a  revolver  from  under  his  pillow,  and 
pointing  it  at  the  crouching  object,  asked,  "Who  is  that?" 
Just  as  he  was  upon  the  point  of  firing,  a  voice  replied 
"  Fadeela  !  "  It  was  one  of  the  black  women  of  the  party,  who 
had  crept  into  the  tent  for  an  asylum.  Upon  striking  a  light 
Baker  found  that  the  woman  was  streaming  with  blood,  bein^ 

"  O 

cut  in  the  most  frightful  manner  with  the  coorbatch  (whip  of 
hippopotamus  hide).  Hearing  the  screams  continued  at  some 
distance  from  the  tent,  he  found  a  party  in  the  act  of  flogging 
two  women  ;  two  men  were  holding  each  woman  upon  the 
ground  by  sitting  upon  her  legs  and  neck,  while  two  men  with 
powerful  whips  operated  upon  each  woman  alternately.  Their 
backs  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  they  were  literally  covered  with 
blood.  The  brutes  had  taken  upon  themselves  the  task  of  thus 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  145 

punishing  the  women  for  a  breach  of  discipline  in  being  absent 
without  leave.  Fadeela  had  escaped  before  her  punishment  had 
been  completed,  and  came  near  being  shot  by  running  to 
the  tent  without  giving  warning-  Seizing  the  coorbatch  from 
the  hands  of  one  of  the  executioners,  Baker  administered  them  a 
dose  of  their  own  prescription,  to  their  intense  astonishment,  as 
they  did  not  appear  conscious  of  any  outrage  ; — "they  were  only 
slave  women."  In  all  such  expeditions  it  is  necessary  to  have 
women  belonging  to  the  party  to  grind  the  corn  and  prepare  the 
food  for  the  men ;  Baker  had  accordingly  hired  several  from 
their  proprietors  at  Khartoum,  and  these  had  been  maltreated  as 
described. 

DETERMINED    TO   LEAVE    GONDOKORO. 

BAKER  determined  at  all  hazards  to  leave  Gondokoro,  having 
engaged  seventeen  men  whom  he  knew  to  be  fully  as  treacherous 
as  those  he  had  dismissed,  but  he  hoped  to  overcome  their  evil 
designs  by  kind  treatment  and  by  impressing  them  with  the 
importance  of  yielding  obedience,  as  the  only  way  of  successfully 
penetrating  a  country  filled  with  hostile  savages. 

A  party  of  Koorshid's  people  had  just  arrived  from  the 
Latooka  country,  bringing  with  them  a  number  of  porters. 
These  people  wore  helmets  of  glass  beads  and  were  remarkably 
handsome,  though  destitute  of  clothing.  Adda,  the  chief,  pre- 
sented himself  at  Baker's  tent,  accompanied  by  a  few  of  his  men  ; 
he  was  a  man  of  remarkable  symmetry,  a  dusky  Appollo  ;  he  was 
very  friendly  with  Baker  and  gave  much  information  about  the 
Latooka  country,  at  the  same  time  urging  the  white  man  to  visit 
him.  To  further  excite  his  friendship,  Baker  took  the  chief's 
portrait,  and  made  him  a  variety  of  presents,  such  as  copper 
bracelets,  beads  and  a  red  cotton  handkerchief.  This  latter 
article  Adda  carefully  folded  in  the  shape  of  a  triangle  and  tied 
it  around  his  body  so  that  the  pendant  corner  would  fall  behind, 
occupying  half  an  hour  in  arranging  it  to  suit  his  fancy. 

Finding  their  chief  so  cleverly  entertained,  the  others  crowded 
around,  asking  for  presents,  which  they  generally  received,  as 
Baker  was  anxious  to  promote  their  friendship,  hoping  to 

10 


146  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

accompany  them  back  to  Latooka,  as  the  chief  had  requested. 
There  was  a  party  of  Turks  also  in  Gondokoro,  who  were  going 
to  the  Latooka  country,  and  these  declared  that  Baker  should 
not  follow.  Adda  despised  the  Turks,  but  was  compelled  to 
labor  in  their  service,  carrying  ivory,  his  tribe  being  too  poorly 
equipped  to  contend  with  them.  Though  he  would  have  been 
glad  to  treat  Baker  as  a  friend,  the  open  hostility  displayed  by 
these  Turks  caused  him  to  remain  neutral.  Notwithstanding  the 
threats  repeated  by  the  Turks,  Baker  resolved  to  follow  with  his 
small  force  of  seventeen  men. 

On  the  route  between  Gondokoro  and  Latooka  there  was  a 
powerful  tribe  among  the  mountains  of  Ellyria.  The  chief  of 
that  tribe  (Legge)  had  formerly  massacred  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  of  a  traders'  party.  He  was  an  ally  of  Koorshid, 
whom  the  Turks  declared  would  raise  an  army  against  Baker  to 
defeat  and  destroy  him.  It  would  only  be  necessary  for  the 
traders  to  request  the  chief  of  Ellyria  to  attack  his  party  to 
insure  its  destruction,  as  the  plunder  of  the  baggage  would  be  an 
ample  reward.  Baker,  however,  had  great  faith  in  presents. 
The  venality  of  Arabs  is  proverbial,  and  having  many  valuable 
effects  with  him,  he  trusted  that  when  the  proper  moment  should 
arrive,  he  would  be  able  to  overcome  all  opposition  by  an  open 
hand. 

A   MOMENTOUS    HOUR. 

THE  day  arrived  for  the  departure  of  Koorshid' s  people. 
They  commenced  firing  their  usual  signals  ;  the  drums  beat ;  the 
Turkish  ensign  led  the  way  ;  and  they  marched  at  two  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  sending  a  polite  message,  "daring"  the  Englishman  to 
follow  them. 

Baker  immediately  ordered  the  tent  to  be  struck,  the  luggage 
fo  be  arranged,  the  animals  to  be  collected,  and  everything  to  be 
ready  for  the  march.  Richarn  and  Saat  were  in  high  spirits, 
even  Baker's  unwilling  men  were  obliged  to  work,  and  by  seven 
p.  M.,  they  were  all  ready.  The  camels  were  too  heavily  loaded, 
carrying  about  seven  hundred  pounds  each.  The  donkeys  were 
also  overloaded,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Mrs.  Baker  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  147 

well  mounted  on  a  good  Abyssinian  horse,  and  was  carrying 
several  leather  bags  slung  to  the  pommel,  while  her  husband  was 
equally  loaded  on  his  horse ;  in  fact,  they  were  all  carrying  as 
much  as  they  could  stow. 

They  had  neither  guide  nor  interpreter.  Not  one  native  was 
procurable,  all  being  under  the  influence  of  the  traders,  who  had 
determined  to  render  their  advance  utterly  impossible  by  pre- 
venting the  natives  from  assisting  them.  They  commenced  the 
desperate  journey  in  darkness  about  an  hour  after  sunset. 

"Where  shall  we  go?"  said  the  men  just  as  the  order  was 
given  to  start.  "Who  can  travel  without  a  guide?  No  one 
knows  the  road."  The  moon  was  up,  and  the  mountain  of 
Belignan  was  distinctly  visible  about  nine  miles  distant.  Know- 
ing that  the  route  lay  on  the  east  side  of  that  mountain,  Baker 
led  the  way,  Mrs.  Baker  riding  by  his  side,  and  the  Biitish  flag 
following  close  behind  as  a  guide  for  the  caravan  of  heavily- 
laden  camels  and  donkeys. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ON   THE    MARCH    TO    LATOOKA. 

IT  being  late  when  the  cavalcade  started,  Baker  halted  after  a 
march  of  three  hours  and  went  into  camp  one-half  mile  from 
where,  the  Turks  had  bivouacked,  hoping  to  conciliate  Ibrahim, 
the  Turkish  chief,  and  procure  a  guide  from  him.  The  haughty 
Mussulman,  however,  rejected  all  overtures,  and  repeated  his 
threat  to  have  the  Englishman  annihilated  by  the  Etlyrians. 
Baker  now  saw  that  his  safety  lay  in  out-traveling  the  Turks  and 
passing  the  Ellyrian  mountains  before  Ibrahim  could  communi- 
cate with  the  savages,  Accordingly,  he  struck  his  tents  before 
daylight  the  next  morning  and  pushed  on  with  all  possible  speed, 
but  on  account  of  his  badly  overloaded  camels  and  donkeys,  he 
could  travel  but  slowly. 

Having  no  guides,  the  route  taken  was  extremely  bad,  being 
obstructed  by  deep  ravines,  and  penetrating  a  jungle  that  was 


148  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

composed  chiefly  of  thorn  bushes.  The  camels  being  tall  the 
overhanging  branches  caught  in  their  packs,  either  shifting  the 
loads  or  dragging  them  off  altogether,  and  while  going  down 
ravines  the  animals  frequently  stumbled  and  would  sometimes 
roll  over  and  over  to  the  bottom.  Thus  it  was  that  the  men 
would  have  to  unload,  carry  the  packs  up  the  opposite  hill,  and 
reload  the  camels  about  every  half  hour.  The  Turks  made  slow 
progress  also,  as  they  were  trading  with  the  natives  along  the 
route,  and  had  no  object  to  hurry  them. 

While  proceeding  under  great  difficulty,  two  Latookas,  who 
had  deserted  Ibrahim  for  being  severely  beaten  by  him,  overtook 
Baker  and  offered  to  guide  him  through  the  Ellyria  country ; 
this  was  a  piece  of  extraordinary  good  luck,  for  bis  men,  having 
neglected  to  supply  themselves  with  water,  were  now  suffering 
much  from  thirst.  The  Latooka  guides  led  the  way,  and  soon 
brought  the  half-famished  party  to  a  place  where  water  was  pro- 
cured by  digging  a  few  feet  in  a  dry  basin.  While  the  men  were 
regaling  themselves  and  the  animals  at  the  wells  thus  made,  some 
natives  appeared,  carrying  the  head  of  a  wild  boar  that  was  in  a 
horrible  state  of  decomposition  and  fairly  alive  with  maggots. 
They  made  themselves  familiar  with  Baker's  men,  and  building 
a  fire  proceeded  to  cook  the  unsavory  dish.  The  skull  becoming 
too  hot  for  its  inhabitants,  the  maggots  wriggled  out  from  the 
ears  and  nose  like  a  jam  of  people  escaping  from  the  doors  of  a 
theatre  on  fire.  The  natives  tapped  the  skull  with  a  stick  to 
hasten  their  exit,  and  when  the  cooking  was  done  they  devoured 
the  meat  and  sucked  the  bones.  No  matter  how  putrid  meat  may 
be,  it  does  not  appear  to  affect  the  health  or  stomach  of  native 
Africans. 

BESIEGED    BY    CURIOUS     NATIVES. 

THE  blacks  having  finished  their  repast,  joined  the  caravan, 
which  now  moved  on  again,  with  Mr.  and  Mis.  Baker  about  one 
mile  in  advance,  accompanied  by  the  Latooka  guides.  Crossing 
a  deep  gully  they  halted  under  a  large  fig  tree  at  the  extremity 
of  a  vale,  to  await  the  party.  They  were  soon  observed  by  the 
Tolloga  natives,  who  emerged  from  their  villages  among  the 


THE  WOKLD'S  WONDERS.  149 

rocks  and  surrounded  them.     They  were  all  armed  with  bows 
and   arrows   and   lances,  and  were  much  excited  at  seeino-  the 

O 

horses,  which  to  them  were  unknown  animals.     Says  Baker : 

"  There  were  five  or  six  hundred  natives  pressing  round  us. 
They  were  excessively  noisy,  hallooing  to  us  as  though  we  were 
deaf,  simply  because  we  did  not  understand  them.  Findino-that 
they  were  pressing  rudely  around  us,  I  made  signs  to  them  to 
stand  off,  when  at  that  moment  a  curiously  ugly,  short,  humped- 
back  fellow  came  forward  and  addressed  me  in  broken  Arabic. 
I  was  delighted  to  find  an  interpreter,  and  requesting  him  to  tell 
the  crowd  to  stand  back,  I  inquired  for  their  chief.  The  hump- 
back spoke  very  little  Arabic,  nor  did  the  crowd  appear  to  heed 
him,  but  they  immediately  stole  a  spear  that  one  of  my  Latooka 
guides  had  placed  against  the  tree  under  which  we  Avere  sitting. 
It  was  getting  rather  unpleasant ;  but  having  my  revolver  and  a 
double-barreled  rifle  in  my  hands,  there  was  no  fear  of  their 
being  stolen. 

"  In  reply  to  a  question  to  the  humpback,  he  asked  me  '  Who 
I  was? '  I  explained  that  I  was  a  traveler.  '  You. want  ivory? ' 
he  said.  '  No,'  I  answered,  '  it  is  of  no  use  to  me.'  '  Ah,  you 
want  slaves  ! '  he  replied.  '  Neither  do  I  want  slaves,'  I  answered. 
This  was  followed  by  a  burst  of  laughter  from  the  crowd,  and 
the  humpback  continued  his  examination.  <  Have  you  got  plenty 
of  cows  ?  '  *  Not  one  ;  but  plenty  of  beads  and  copper.'  '  Plenty  ? 
Where  are  they?'  *  Not  far  off;  they  will  be  here  presently, 
with  my  men,'  and  I  pointed  to  the  direction  from  which  they 
would  arrive.  '  What  countryman  are  you?  '  '  An  Englishman.' 
He  had  never  heard  of  such  people.  *  You  are  a  Turk?'  '  All 
right,'  I  replied  ;  '  I  am  anything  you  like.'  'And  that  is  your 
son?'  (pointing  at  Mrs.  Baker).  *  No,  she  is  my  wife.'  «  Your 
wife  !  What  a  lie  !  He  is  a  boy.'  '  Not  a  bit  of  it,'  I  replied  ; 
*  she  is  my  wife,  who  has  come  with  me  to  see  the  women  of  this 
country.'  'What  a  lie!  '  he  again  politely  rejoined  in  the  one 
expressive  Arabic  word,  'Katab.' 

"After  this  charmingly  frank  conversation  he  addressed  the 
crowd,  explaining,  I  suppose,  that  I  was  endeavoring  to  pass  off 


150  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

a  boy  for  a  woman.  Mrs.  Baker  was  dressed  similar  to  myself 
in  a  pair  of  loose  trousers  and  gaiters,  with  a  blouse  and  belt — 
the  only  difference  being  that  she  wore  long  sleeves,  while  my 
a?ms  were  bare  from  a  few  inches  below  the  shoulder." 

A   MONKEY   AND    OLD    IBRAHIM. 

TOMBE,  chief  of  the  tribe,  was  not  long  in  making  his  appear- 
ance, with  a  gourd  full  of  honey  and  a  pot  of  native  beer,  which 
was  very  refreshing.  The  chief  drove  the  importunate  natives 
away,  Baker  having  gained  his  favor  by  giving  him  a  variety  of 
beads  and  copper  bracelets.  This  display  of  presents  brought 
the  natives  back  again,  when  they  discovered  Mrs.  Baker's  pet 
monkey,  one  of  a  red  species  of  Abyssinia,  quite  unknown  to 
them.  This  attracted  their  attention,  but  the  monkey  resisted 
all  attempts  at  familiarity  by  viciously  attacking  their  unprotected 
legs,  which  made  the  crowd  roar  with  laughter,  and  resulted  in 
winning  their  friendship. 

The  humpback  was  employed  as  interpreter,  and  the  party  then 
moved  on,  Baker  believing  that  he  had  distanced  the  hated  Turk, 
and  would  be  able  to  pass  through  Ellyria,  which  was  now  only 
six  miles  distant,  before  they  could  reach  there.  The  remainder 
of  the  road,  however,  was  extremely  rough,  and  ran  through  a 
rocky  defile,  from  the  heights  of  either  side  of  which  a  few 
savages  might,  by  rolling  down  stones,  have  destroyed  an  army. 
Baker  could  not  help  feeling  some  alarm  at  the  position  he  was 
now  in,  for  it  would  take  him  several  hours  to  pass  through  this 
place ;  he  knew  it  was  here  that  more  than  one  hundred  traders 
met  their  deaths  at  the  hands  of  the  barbarous  Ellyrians,  and  he 
therefore  felt  a  growing  insecurity  as  he  neared  the  principal 
village  of  that  tribe,  realizing  that  the  Turks  must  be  very  close 
in  his  rear. 

Just  before  emerging  onto  the  plain,  within  a  mile  of  Ellyria, 
he  was  horrified  to  see  the  Turks  immediately  in  the  rear  of  his 
party,  and  they  soon  marched  by  without  the  slighest  recogni- 
tion. He  felt  that  all  must  now  be  lost,  and  with  no  definite 
plan  to  pursue  he  stood  still  till  the  hated  caravan  had  gone  by, 
and  Ibrahim,  who  was  some  distance  in  the  rear,  approached. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  151 

This  man  had  the  visage  of  a  demon,  a  merciless,  cold,  villainous 
face,  and  the  scowl  of  a  savage  brute.  He  did  not  turn  his 
head  to  recognize  Baker,  who,  in  turn,  was  too  proud  and  defiant 
to  notice  him.  But  Mrs.  Baker  insisted  upon  her  husband  callin^ 
to  Ibrahim  and  placating  him,  and  upon  his  refusal  she  called 
to  the  Turk  herself.  With  a  sullen  look  he  turned  and  gruffly 
asked  what  she  wanted.  Baker  now  saw  that  his  wife's  ideas 
were  more  reasonable  than  his  own,  and  he  accordingly  addressed 
the  Turk  as  follows  : 

"Ibrahim,  why  should  we  be  enemies  in  the  midst  of  this 
hostile  country?  We  believe  in  the  same  God  ;  why  should  we 
quarrel  in  this  land  of  heathens,  who  believe  in  no  God?  You 
have  your  work  to  perform  ;  I  have  mine.  You  want  ivory  ;  I 
am  a  simple  traveler;  why  should  we  clash?  If  I  were  offered 
the  whole  ivory  of  the  country  I  would  not  accept  a  single  tusk, 
nor  interfere  with  you  in  any  way.  Transact  your  business,  and 
don't  interfere  with  me  :  the  country  is  wide  enough  for  us  both. 
I  have  a  task  before  me,  to  reach  a  great  lake — the  head  of  the 
Nile.  Reach  it  I  will  (Inshallah).  No  power  shall  drive  me 
back.  If  you  are  hostile,  I  will  imprison  you  in  Khartoum  ;  if 
you  assist  me,  I  will  reward  you  far  beyond  any  reward  you  have 
ever  received.  Should  I  be  killed  in  this  country  you  will  be 
suspected  ;  you  know  the  result ;  the  Government  would  hang 
you  on  the  bare  suspicion.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  are  friendly, 
I  will  use  my  influence  in  any  country  that  I  discover,  that  you 
may  procure  its  ivory  for  the  sake  of  your  master,  Koorshid, 
who  was  generous  to  Captains  Speke  and  Grant,  and  kind  to  me. 
Should  you  be  hostile,  I  shall  hold  your  master  responsible  as 
your  employer.  Should  you  assist  me,  I  will  befriend  you  both. 
Choose  your  course  frankly,  like  a  man — friend  or  enemy?" 

This  speech  caused  Ibrahim  to  pause,  whereupon  Baker  fur., 
nished  him  a  new  double-barreled  gun  and  some  gold,  which 
completely  won  the  old  scoundrel,  and  they  marched  into  Ellyria 
together. 

LEGGE,  THE    SAVAGE    CHIEF. 

THE  party  had  not  time  to  unpack  their  loads  before  they  were 


152  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

surrounded  by  a  large  body  of  Ellyrians,  and  among  the  first  was 
their  chief,  Legge,  who  was  intent  on  securing  blackmail.  His 
first  demand  was  for  fifteen  heavy  copper  bracelets  and  ten 
pounds  of  assorted  beads.  A  bottle  of  spirits  had  accidentally 
been  broken  in  one  of  the  packs,  and  smelling  the  liquor  he 
immediately  clamored  for  a  "belly-fully,"  as  he  expressed  it. 
A  pint  bottle  of  the  strongest  spirits  was  given  him,  which  he 
emptied  without  once  removing  it  from  his  mouth.  Baker  says  : 

"Although  I  had  presented  Legge  with  what  he  desired,  he 
would  give  nothing  in  return,  neither  would  he  sell  either  goats 
or  fowls  ;  in  fact,  no  provision  was  procurable  except  honey.  I 
purchased  about  eight  pounds  of  this  luxury  for  a  hoe.  My  men 
were  starving,  and  I  was  obliged  to  serve  them  out  rice  from  my 
sacred  stock,  as  I  had  nothing  else  to  give  them.  This  they 
boiled  and  mixed  with  honey,  and  they  were  shortly  sitting  round 
an  immense  circular  bowl  of  this  rarity,  enjoying  themselves 
thoroughly,  but  nevertheless  grumbling  as  usual.  In  the  coolest 
manner  possible  the  great  and  greedy  chief,  Legge,  who  had 
refused  to  give  or  even  to  sell  anything  to  keep  us  from  starving, 
no  sooner  saw  the  men  at  their  novel  repast  than  he  sat  down 
among  them  and  almost  choked  himself  by  cramming  handfuls 
of  the  hot  rice  and  honey  into  his  mouth,  which  yawned  like  an 
old  hippopotamus.  The  men  did  not  at  all  approve  of  this 
assistance,  but  as  it  is  the  height  of  bad  manners  in  Arab  etiquette 
to  repel  a  self-invited  guest  from  the  general  meal,  he  was  not 
interfered  with,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  swallow  the  share  of 
about  three  persons." 

Legge,  although  the  worst  of  his  tribe,  had  a  similar  formation 
of  head.  The  Buri  and  those  of  Tolloga  and  Ellyria  have  gener- 
ally bullet-shaped  heads,  low  foreheads,  skulls  heavy  behind  the 
ears  and  above  the  nape  of  the  neck  :  altogether  their  appearance 
is  excessively  brutal,  and  they  are  armed  with  bows  six  feet  long, 
and  arrows  horribly  barbed  and  poisoned. 

THROUGH   A    GAME    COUNTRY. 

THE  Ellyrians  would  sell  nothing  but  honey,  while  their  inces- 
sant begging  was  very  annoying,  so  that  the  halt  among  them 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEBS.  153 

was  only  for  one  day.  The  route  from  this  place  toward 
Latooka  led  generally  through  a  flat  country,  with  few  difficulties 
to  surmount.  The  Turks  took  the  lead,  with  Ibrahim  in  advance, 
alongside  of  whom  rode  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker.  They  soon  got 
into  friendly  conversation,  which  Baker  improved  by  flattering 
the  old  Turk  and  winning  his  friendship.  Ibrahim  at  length 
became  confidential  and  told  Baker  that  his  men  had  agreed  to 

O 

mutiny  as  soon  as  they  should  arrive  at  Latooka,  and  named  the 
leader.  This  was  bad  news  in  one  sense,  but  good  in  another, 
for  it  gave  Baker  time  to  prepare  for  the  trouble,  whereas  he 
might  otherwise  have  been  shot  down  and  his  wife  left  to  perish 
in  that  barbarous  region.  They  pushed  on  together,  and  two 
days  after  leaving  Ellyria  they  came  into  the  YVakkula  country, 
which,  owing  to  its  rich  pasturage  and  abundant  water,  abounded 
with  all  kinds  of  game,  such  as  elephants,  rhinoceros,  buffaloes, 
giraffes,  wild  boars,  and  several  varieties  of  large  antelope. 
Just  before  going  into  camp  in  this  beautiful  region,  some  of 
Baker's  men  found  a  buffalo  that  had  been  caught  in  a  trap  and 
partially  eaten  by  a  lion  ;  that  which  remained  the  men  devoured 
with  great  relish,  as  it  was  the  first  meat  they  had  tasted  since 
leaving  Gondokoro.  Baker  went  on  a  hunt  in  this  paradise  and 
bagged  several  antelope,  enough  to  provision  the  force  until  their 
arrival  at  Latooka,  but  his  great  anxiety  to  push  forward  pre- 
vented hirn  from  enjoying  a  hunt  for  larger  game. 

Shortly  after  leaving  the  lovely  plain  on  which  he  had 
found  such  an  abundance  of  game,  still  in  the  company  of 
Ibrahim  and  his  party,  they  saw  a  large  Latooka  town,  named 
Latome,  in  the  distance,  and  could  discover  a  considerable  crowd 
of  Turks  assembled  in  the  shade  of  two  enormous  trees.  These 
issued  forth,  upon  observing  the  approaching  columns,  and  com- 
ing near,  fired  their  guns  off  with  great  rapidity,  as  a  salute. 
This  was  the  place  where  Baker's  men  had  agreed  to  mutiny, 
and  the  salute  was  therefore  no  indication  of  an  agreeable  spot  to 
camp.  Directly  afterward,  however,  a  Turkish  trading  party, 
under  Mohamed  Her,  that  had  bivouacked  in  the  village,  came 
out  and  forbid  the  passage  of  Ibrahim  through  the  country, 


154  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

claiming  an  exclusive  right  to  trade  there.  A  big  row  was  the 
result,  in  which  Mohamed  was  strangled  almost  to  death  by  one 
of  Ibrahim's  sergeants.  Baker's  men  showed  an  unmistakable 
sympathy  for  Mohamed,  though  their  time  had  not  yet  arrived  for 
making  an  outbreak. 

ANOTHER   MUTINY. 

AFTER  violent  quarreling  for  some  hours,  the  several  parties 
repaired  to  their  tents  and  slept,  but  on  the  following  morning, 
when  Baker  called  his  men  to  resume  the  march,  they  sullenly 
disobeyed  and  four  of  them  rose,  seized  their  guns  and  assumed 
a  threatening  attitude.  He  knew  that  the  mutiny  was  now  about 
to  manifest  itself,  and  acted  accordingly.  Belaal,  the  leading  spirit 
of  this  outbreak,  stood  near,  and  upon  being  ordered  to  fall  in  and 
begin  loading  the  camels,  he  advanced  upon  Baker,  looking  him 
fiercely  in  the  eyes,  and  dashing  the  butt  of  his  gun  violently  to  the 
ground,  said,  "Not  a  man  shall  go  with  you! — go  where  you 
like  with  Ibrahim,  but  we  won't  follow  you,  nor  move  a  step 
farther.  The  men  shall  not  load  the  camels ;  you  may  employ 
the  '  niggers '  to  do  it,  but  not  us." 

"  I  looked  at  this  mutinous  rascal  for  a  moment,"  says  Baker  ; 
"  this  was  the  burst  of  the  conspiracy,  and  the  threats  and  inso- 
lence that  I  had  been  forced  to  pass  over  for  the  sake  of  the 
expedition  all  rushed  before  me.  'Lay  down  your  gun!'  I 
thundered,  '  and  load  the  camels  ! '  'I  won't ! '  was  his  reply. 
'  Then  stop  here  ! '  I  answered  ;  at  the  same  time  lashing  out  as 
quick  as  lightning  with  my  right  hand  upon  his  jaw. 

"  He  rolled  over  in  a  heap,  his  gun  flying  some  yards  from  his 
hand ;  and  the  late  ringleader  lay  apparently  insensible  among 
the  luggage,  while  several  of  his  friends  ran  to  him,  and  did  the 
good  Samaritan.  Following  up  on  the  moment  the  advantage  I 
had  gained  by  establishing  a  panic,  I  seized  my  rifle  and  rushed 
into  the  midst  of  the  wavering  men,  catching  first  one  by  the 
throat,  and  then  another,  and  dragging  them  to  the  camels, 
which  I  insisted  upon  their  immediately  loading.  All  except 
three,  who  attended  to  the  ruined  ringleader,  mechanically 
obeyed.  Richarn  and  Sali  both  shouted  to  them  to  '  hurry  j* 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


155 


and  the  vakeel  arriving  at  this  moment  and  seeing  how  matters 
stood,  himself  assisted,  and  urged  the  men  to  obey. 

"Ibrahim's  party  had  started.  The  animals  were  soon 
loaded,  and  leaving  the  vakeel  to  take  them  in  charge  we 
cantered  on  to  overtake  Ibrahim,  having  crushed  the  mutiny, 


and  given  such  an  example  that,  in  the  event  of  future  con- 
spiracies, my  men  would  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  a  ringleader.'* 
A  short  time  after  the  event  just  related,  Belaal  and  four 
others  deserted  and  joined  Mohammed  Her,  taking  their  guns 
ar>d  ammunition  with  them.  Baker  roundly  abused  his  leader 
for  permitting  them  to  escape,  and  declared  that  the  vultures 


156  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

would  pick  the  bones  of  the  base  recreants  who  had  abandoned 
them.  This  threat  seemed  to  have  much  effect  upon  the  men, 
and  when,  three  days  later,  Belaal  and  his  four  compatriots  were 
Killed  by  a  band  of  savage  natives,  the  superstitious  people 
believed  that  it  was  through  some  magic  power  exerted  by  Baker, 
so  that  they  hailed  him  as  a  powerful  magician.  This  belief  he 
did  not  attempt  to  dispel,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  he  did  not, 
for  it  served  him  well  on  future  occasions. 

THE   PEOPLE    OF   TARRANGOLLE. 

THIRTEEN  miles  from  Latome  lay  the  largest  village  in  the 
Latooka  country,  Tarrangolle,  where  Moy,  the  chief,  resided. 
This  was  Ibrahim's  destination,  the  place  where  he  collected  his 
ivory  and  slaves,  and  carried  them  back  to  Goridokoro,  which, 
by  dead  reckoning,  was  only  101  miles  distant,  but  nearly  o 
month  is  required  to  make  the  journey. 

Crowds  of  natives  came  out  of  the  village  to  receive  Baker  and 
the  Turks,  but  their  curiosity  was  attracted  almost  exclusively  to 
the  camels  and  the  white  woman,  paying  little  heed  to  Baker 
himself,  because  he  was  brown  as  an  Arab. 

The  Latookas  are  doubtless  the  finest  made  savages  in  all 
Africa.  A  score  or  more  of  them  who  came  into  Baker's  tent 
were  measured,  and  averaged  five  feet  eleven  and  one-half  inches. 
Not  only  are  they  tall,  but  they  possess  a  wonderful  musculai 
development,  having  beautifully  proportioned  legs  and  arms ; 
and  although  extremely  powerful,  they  are  never  fleshy  or  cor- 
pulent. The  formation  of  head  and  general  physiognomy  is 
totally  different  from  all  other  tribes  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
White  Nile.  They  have  high  foreheads,  large  eyes,  rather  high 
cheek-bones,  mouths  not  very  large,  well  shaped,  and  the  lips 
rather  full.  They  have  a  remarkably  pleasing  cast  of  counten- 
ance, and  are  a  great  contrast  to  other  tribes  in  civility  of  manner. 
They  are  frank  but  warlike,  excessively  merry,  ready  either  for 
a  laugh  or  fight. 

The  town  of  Tarrangolle  contains  about  threo  thousand, 
houses,  which  are  not  only  surrounded  by  iron-wood  palisades., 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  157 

but  every  individual  house  is  fortified  by  a  stockaded  courtyard. 
The  cattle  are  kept  in  large  kraals  and  very  carefully  tended, 
even  to  the  lighting  of  fires  to  keep  annoying  insects  from  them. 
The  houses  are  bell-shaped,  rising  into  a  sharp-pointed  cone, 
twenty-five  feet  high,  resting  on  a  circular  wall  four  feet  in  height. 
The  doorway  is  only  two  feet  high,  so  that  entrance  is  made  by 
crawling;  the  interior  is  clean,  but  unlighted  by  windows,  the 
only  light  received  being  through  the  door. 

A  PLENTIFUL  CROP  OF  DEAD  MEN'S  BONES. 

BAKER  says  he  noticed,  during  the  march  from  Latome,  that 
the  vicinity  of  every  town  was  announced  by  heaps  of  human 
remains,  bones  and  skulls,  forming  an  incipient  Golgotha  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  every  village.  Some  of  the  bones  were  in 
earthenware  pots,  generally  broken  ;  others  lay  strewn  here  and 
there  ;  while  a  heap  in  the  centre  showed  that  some  form  hau 
originally  been  observed  in  their  disposition.  This  was  explained 
by  an  extraordinary  custom  most  rigidly  observed  by  the 
Latookas.  Should  a  man  be  killed  in  battle  the  body  is  allowed 
to  remain  where  it  fell,  and  is  devoured  by  the  vultures  an.A 
hyenas  ;  but  should  he  die  a  natural  death,  he  or  she  is  buried  in 

a  shallow  grave  within  a  few  feet  of  his  own  door,  in  the  little 
o 

courtyard  that  surrounds  each  dwelling.  Funeral  dances  are 
then  kept  up  in  memory  of  the  dead  for  several  weeks ;  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time,  the  body  being  sufficiently  decomposed, 
is  exhumed.  The  bones  are  cleaned,  and  are  deposited  in 
an  earthenware  jar,  and  carried  to  a  spot  near  the  tpwn,  which  is 
regarded  as  the  cemetery. 

The  costume  of  the  Latookas  is  simple  enough,  as  they  make 
no  effort  to  cover  any  part  of  the  body,  but  infinite  care  is 
bestowed  upon  the  hair,  which  is  trained  to  grow  into  the  shape 
of  a  helmet,  the  perfecting  of  which  requires  unremitting 
attention  for  eight  or  ten  years.  Their  weapons  consist  of  the 
lance,  a  powerful  iron-headed  mace,  a  long-bladed  knife,  and 
an  ugly  iron  bracelet,  armed  with  knife-blades  about  four  inches 
in  length  by  one-half  inch  broad  ;  this  latter  weapon  is  used  to 


158  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

strike  with  if  disarmed  and  to  cut  with  when  struggling  with  an 
enemy. 

The  women  are  as  plain  as  the  men  are  fastidious ;  they  are 
not  even  acquainted  with  the  use  of  a  loin-cloth.  They  are  not 
well  made  as  the  men,  for  while  the  latter  are  sinewy  and 
graceful,  the  women  ;ire  immense  creatures,  with  prodigious 
limbs  and  in  all  respects  appear  to  be  admirably  fitted  for 
the  drudgery  service  they  are  put  to. 

CHIEF   MOY   AND    HIS   WIFE. 

ON  the  day  after  Baker's  arrival  he  was  visited  by  the  chief, 
who  had  never  before  seen  a  white  person.  Seating  him  upon  a 
piece  of  Persian  carpet,  Baker  poured  out  a  quantity  of  beads, 
necklaces,  copper  bars,  and  colored  cotton  handkerchiefs. 
Among  the  gifts  was  a  necklace  composed  of  opal  beads,  the 
size  of  marbles.  He  seized  them  like  a  greedy  child  and 
requested  a  similar  necklace  for  his  wife,  Bokke  ;  this  being  also 
given  him,  the  chief  said,  "What  a  row  there  will  be  in  the 
family  when  my  other  wives  see  Bokke  (who  was  his  chief  wife) 
dressed  up  with  this  finery."  This  was,  of  course,  a  demand 
for  more  opal  beads,  whereupon  Baker  gave  him  three  pounds  of 
beads  to  be  divided  among  his  wives. 

On  the  next  day  Bokke  called  at  Baker's  hut,  covered  with 
beads,  and  presenting  a  singular  spectacle  by  reason  of  the  scars 
on  her  cheeks,  tattoo  marks  on  her  temples,  and  a  piece  of  ivory 
pending  from  a  perforation  through  her  lower  lip.  Despite  these 
disfigurations  she  was  real  pretty,  and  her  daughter,  Baker 
declares,  was  the  handsomest  savage  girl  he  ever  saw. 

Bokke  made  herself  entertaining  by  asking  how  many  wives 
the  white  man  had,  and  laughing  with  scorn,  if  not  incredulity, 
when  told  that  he  had  but  one.  She  also  suggested  to  Mrs.  Baker 
that  her  looks  would  be  very  much  improved  by  knocking  out 
her  four  lower  front  teeth,  according  to  the  custom  of  that 
country,  and  wearing  red  ointment  on  her  hair  and  a  piece  of 
bone  through  her  lower  lip. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  she  came  again,  with  the 
information,  that  Mohamed  Her  and  his  party  of  110  men  had 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  159 

been  massacred  by  the  Latookas,  one  of  whose  villages  he  had 
tried  to  destroy  and  to  make  slaves  of  the  inhabitants.  Very 
soon  after  other  runners  arrived  with  particulars  of  the  fight, 
confirming  the  first  reports.  This  news  put  the  people  of  Tar- 
rangolle  into  a  furore  of  excitement,  particularly  as  Ibrahim's 
followers  had  been  maltreating  the  Latooka  women.  A  bio-  fio-ht 

**  r^      r? 

threatened,  the  war  drums  were  beaten,  and  several  thousand 
warriors  assembled  to  exterminate  the  Turks  in  their  village,  and 
Baker  as  well ;  but  chief  Moy,  who  had  become  somewhat  attached 
to  his  white  guests,  on  account  of  the  presents  given,  prevented 
his  people  from  making  an  attack. 

Although  there  were  not  less  than  10,000  head  of  cattle  belong- 
ing to  the  people  of  Tarrangolle,  they  would  not  sell  a  single 
beef.  The  want  of  meat  was  so  badly  felt  that  Baker  had  to 
resort  to  his  gun.  Fortunately  ducks  and  geese  were  very  plen- 
tiful in  a  stream  near  the  town,  and  every  day  he  shot  a  sufficient 
number  to  supply  his  men. 

A  FUNERAL   DANCE'. 

A  VERY  interesting  ceremony  was  witnessed  by  Baker  at 
Latooka,  being  nothing  less  than  a  funeral  dance  in  honor  of  one 
of  the  brave  warriors  of  the  tribe.  The  dancers  were  grotesquely 
appareled,  as  is  the  custom  of  all  savage  tribes  during  such  cere- 
monies. A  dozen  very  large  ostrich  feathers  adorned  thei  r  helmets 
of  hair,  while  leopard  or  black  and  white  monkey  skins  were 
suspended  from  their  shoulders,  and  a  leather  strap  tied  round 
the  waist  supported  a  large  iron  bell,  which  was  girded  upon  the 
loins  like  a  woman's  bustle ;  this  they  rung  to  the  time  of  the 
dance,  by  jerking  their  posteriors  in  the  most  ridiculous  manner. 
Every  dancer  worB  an  antelope's  horn  suspended  round  the  neck, 
which  he  blew  occasionally  in  the  height  of  his  excitement. 
These  instruments  produced  a  sound  partaking  of  the  braying  of 
a  donkey  and  the  screech  of  an.  owl.  Crowds  of  men  rushed 
round  ajid  round  in  a  sort  of  "galop  infernel,"  brandishing 
their  lances  and  iron-headed  maces,  and  keeping  tolerably  in  line 
five  or  six  deep,  following  the  leader  who  headed  them,  dancing 
backward.  The  women  kept  outside  the  line,  dancing  a  low, 


160 


THE  WOBLB'S  WCWDKBS. 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS.  lf)l 

stupid  step,  and  screaming  a  wild  and  most  inharmonious  chant, 
while  a  long  string  of  young  girls  and  small  children,  their  heads 
and  necks  rubbed  with  red  ochre  and  grease,  and  prettily  orna- 
mented with  strings  of  beads  around  their  loins,  kept  a  very 
good  line,  beating  the  time  with  their  feet,  and  jinslinw  the 
numerous  iron  rings  which  adorned  their  ankles,  to  keep  time 
with  the  drums.  One  woman  attended  upon  the  men,  runnino- 
through  the  crowd  with  a  gourd  full  of  wood-ashes,  handfuls  of 
which  she  showered  over  their  heads,  powdering  them  like 
millers  ;  the  object  of  the  operation  Baker  could  not  understand. 
The  "premiere  danseuse"  was  immensely  fat ;  she  had  passed 
the  bloom  of  youth,  but  despite  her  unwieldy  state,  she  kept  up 
the  pace  to  the  last,  quite  unconscious  of  her  general  appearance, 
and  absorbed  with  the  excitement  of  the  dance. 

AN   AFRICAN   PRINCE'S    IDEA    OF   THE    HEREAFTER. 

When  the  funeral  services  were  over,  Baker,  anxious  to  learn 
something  of  the  origin  of  the  ceremonies  he  had  just  witnessed, 
and  hoping  to  find  in  them  some  analogy  to  Christian  rights  and 
beliefs,  sent  for  Commoro  (the  "Lion"),  brother  of  Moy,  the 
chief,  and  entered  into  conversation  with  him  on  the  resurrection 
of  the  body.  He  declares  that  Commoro  was  one  of  the  most 
clever  and  common-sense  savages  any  white  man  ever  met  with, 
and  reports  the  conversation,  which  was  interpreted,  as  follows: 

"Have  you  no  belief  in  existence  after  death?"  asked  Baker. 

"Existence  after  death!"  exclaimed  the  savage.  "Can  a 
dead  man  get  out  of  his  grave  unless  we  dig  him  out?" 

"  Do  you  think  man  is  like  a  beast,  that  dies  and  is  ended?" 

"Certainly  ;  an  ox  is  stronger  than  a  man,  but  he  dies  and  his 
bones  last  longer;  they  are  bigger.  A  man's  bones  break 
quickly — he  is  weak." 

"Is  not  a  man  superior  in  sense  to  an  ox  ;  has  he  not  a  mind 
to  direct  his  actions  ! " 

"  Some  men  are  not  so  clever  as  an  ox<     Men  must  sow  corn 
to  obtain  food,  but  the  ex  and  wild  animals  can  procure  it  without 
sowing." 
11 


162  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  there  is  a  spirit  within  you  more  than 
flesh?  Do  you  not  dream  and  wander  in  thought  to  distant 
places  in  your  sleep?  Nevertheless,  your  body  rests  in  one  spot. 
How  do  you  account  for  this?" 

"Well,  how  do  you  account  for  it?"  said  Commoro,  laughing. 
"  It  is  a  thing  I  cannot  understand  ;  it  occurs  to  me  every  night." 

"  The  mind  is  independent  of  the  body  ;  the  actual  body  can 
be  fettered,  but  the  mind  is  uncontrollable;  the  body  will  die 
ind  will  become  dust,  or  be  eaten  by  vultures,  but  the  spirit  will 
exist  forever." 

"Where  will  the  spirit  live?" 

"  Where  does  fire  live?  Cannot  you  produce  a  fire  by  rubbing 
two  sticks  together,  yet  you  see  no  tire  in  the  wood  ?  Have  you 
no  idea  of  the  existence  of  spirits  superior  to  either  man  or 
beast?  Have  you  no  fear  of  evil  except  from  bodily  causes?" 

"lam  afraid  of  elephants  and  other  animals  when  in  the 
jungle  at  night,  but  of  nothing  else." 

"Then  you  believe  in  nothing;  neither  in  a  good  nor  evil 
spirit !  And  you  believe  that  when  you  die  it  will  be  the  end  of 
body  and  spirit ;  that  you  are  like  other  animals,  and  that  there 
is  no  distinction  between  man  and  beast ;  both  disappear  and  end 
at  death?" 

"  Of  course  they  do." 

"  Do  you  see  no  difference  in  good  and  bad  actions?" 

"Yes,  there  are  good  and  bad  in  men  and  beasts." 

"Do  you  think  that  a  good  man  and  a  bad  must  share  the 
same  fate,  and  alike  die,  and  end?" 

"Yes;  what  else  can  they  do?  How  can  they  help  dying? 
Good  and  bad  all  die." 

"Their  bodies  perish,  but  their  spirits  remain;  the  good  in 
happiness,  the  bnd  in  misery.  If  you  have  no  belief  in  a  future 
state,  why  should  a  man  be  good?  Why  should  he  not  be  bad,  if 
he  can  prosper  by  his  wickedness?" 

"  Most  people  are  bad  ;  if  they  are  strong  they  take  from  the 
weak.  The  good  people  are  all  weak ;  they  are  good  because 
they  are  not  strong  enough  to  be  bad." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  163 

Some  corn  had  been  taken  out  of  a  sack  for  the  horses,  and  a 
few  grains  lying  scattered  on  the  ground,  Baker  tried  the  beau- 
tiful metaphor  of  St.  Paul  as  an  example  of  a  future  state. 
Making  a  small  hole  with  his  finger  in  the  ground,  he  placed  a 
grain  within  it;  "That,"  he  said,  "represents  you  when  you 
die."  Covering  it  with  earth,  he  continued,  "That  grain  will 
decay,  but  from  it  will  rise  the  plant  that  will  produce  a  reap- 
pearance of  the  original  form." 

"  Exactly  so  ;  that  I  understand.  But  the  original  grain  does 
not  rise  again  ;  it  rots  like  the  dead  man,  and  is  ended  ;  the  fruit 
produced  is  not  the  same  grain  that  we  buried,  but  the  production 
of  that  grain:  so  it  is  with  man, — I  die,  and  decay,  and  am 
ended  ;  but  my  children  grow  up  like  the  fruit  of  the  grain. 
Some  men  have  no  children,  and  some  grains  perish  without 
fruit ;  then  all  are  ended. 

Baker  saw  it  was  useless  to  argue  further,  and  frankly  says : 
"  I  was  obliged  to  change  the  subject  of  conversation.  In  this 
wild,  naked  savage  there  was  not  even  a  superstition  upon  which 
to  found  a  religious  feeling  ;  there  was  a  belief  in  matter  ;  and 
to  his  understanding  everything  was  material.  It  was  extraor- 
dinary to  find  so  much  clearness  of  perception  combined  with 
such  complete  obtuseness  to  anything  ideal." 

ELEPHANT   HUNTING. 

BAKER  remained  at  Latooka  two  weeks  or  more,  waiting  the 
return  of  Ibrahim  from  Gondokoro,  whither  he  had  gone  for  a 
new  supply  of  ammunition  ;  and  to  better  employ  the  time  of  his 
detention,  on  the  15th  of  April,  just  as  the  rainy  season  was 
setting  in,  he  resolved  upon  a  hunt  for  large  game,  traces  of 
which  were  numerous  within  five  miles  of  Latooka.  Accordingly, 
with  a  good  guide  and  several  servants  to  carry  the  guns,  he  set 
out,  and  coming  to  a  plain  covered  with  long  rich  grasses,  he 
was  suddenly  startled  by  a  rhinoceros  bolting  out  of  a  copse  close 
to  his  horse's  head,  and  plunging  into  another  before  he  could 
seize  his  gun.  He  would  have  followed  had  not  his  attention 
been  called  away  from  the  rhinoceros  by  a  shout  from  his  servants, 


164 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


who  reported  a  herd  of  large  bull  elephants  browsing  in  a  forest 
at  the  edge  of  the  plain.  Stopping  short  to  locate  the  herd,  he 
was  delighted  to  see  two  large  bulls  bearing  down  toward  him, 


!ess  than  one  hundred  yards  distant.  He  dismounted  to  get 
a  steady  shot,  but  the  elephants  saw  the  Latookas/and,  taking 
flight,  rushed  off  to  join  the  main  herd,  only  a  short  distance 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  165 

away.  Baker  soon  mounted  and  dashed  toward  the  elephants, 
but  his  horse  stepped  into  a  buffalo  hole  and  fell  hard  on  his  leo-. 
He  fortunately  extricated  himself  without  difficulty,  and,  mount- 
ing another  horse,  rode  at  full  speed  toward  the  fugitive  game, 
>vhich  had  gained  considerable  distance,  and  disappeared  in  the 
wood.  After  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  hard  riding  he  saw 
an  enormous  bull  ploughing  through  the  brush  like  an  immense 
engine,  tearing  down  everything  in  his  way.  The  country 
was  unfavorable  for  the  hunter,  on  account  of  buffalo  holes, 
and  though  approaching  within  twenty  yards,  he  was  unable 
to  get  a  fair  shot.  Away  they  flew  over  ruts  a.id  gullies  until 
the  ponderous  brute  was  chased  to  another  open  plain,  when 
a  ball  was  planted  in  his  shoulder ;  though  badly  struck  the 
elephant  did  not  alter  his  course  or  speed  until  another  shot  was 
put  close  to  the  first  one.  The  animal  now  slackened  his  speed, 
then  turned  about  and  made  straight  for  his  assailant,  screaming 
like  an  infuriated  demon.  Baker  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  having 
urgent  business  in  another  vicinity,  and. as  he  was  not  pursued 
more  than  a  hundred  yards,  made  his  escape.  He  prepared  for 
another  attack  by  taking  a  larger  gun  and  starting  after  the 
wounded  beast,  but  had  gone  less  than  a  dozen  yards  when  he 
saw  a  closely-packed  herd  of  eighteen  elephants  coming  directly 
toward  him  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  discovered  him  they  broke  off 
in  another  direction.  In  the  herd  he  noticed  an  uncommonly 
large  bull  that  was  armed  with  an  immense  and  beautiful  pair  of 
tusks  ;  this  one  he  determined  to  cut  out  from  the  others,  and 
by  shouting  succeeded  in  scattering  them  ;  he  now  rode  for  the 
chosen  one,  but  the  elephant  seeing  himself  pursued,  turned  and 
charged  so  determinedly  upon  his  assailant  that  his  escape 
appeared  for  a  time  impossible  ;  fortunately,  again  the  elephant 
stopped,  almost  at  the  moment  he  might  have  caught  the  bold 
hunter,  and  entered  a  thicket  where  a  horse  could  not  well  follow. 
Baker  went  into  the  woods  to  find  the  herd  again,  and  soon  came 
upon  the  one  he  had  wounded.  It  was  standing  in  a  painful 
attitude  as  if  upon  the  very  point  of  dissolution,  but  the  moment 
its  fiery  eves  rested  upon  the  hunter  the  maddened  beast  charged 


166 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  167 

him  again  ;  another  shot  brought  the  elephant  to  his  knees,  but 
he  rallied  quickly,  and  lifting  his  great  trunk  and  screaming  with 
rage,  he  rushed  after  Baker,  whose  horse  was  now  badly  jaded. 
The  race  this  time  was  more  exciting  than  before,  for,  instead  of 
stopping  after  a  short  run,  the  elephant  kept  its  swift  pace  and 
followed  for  more  than  a  mile,  all  the  wrhile  gradually  gaining, 
until  the  distance  between  pursued  and  pursuer  was  not  more 
than  ten  yards,  while  the  horse  was  nearly  ready  to  fall  from 
exhaustion.  The  cowardly  servants,  who  were  also  mounted  on 
horses,  were  so  mindful  of  their  own  safety  that  they  made  no 
effort  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  elephant,  but  ran  as  swiftly 
and  as  far  away  as  possible.  Baker  was  almost  upon  the  point  of 
despair  ;  he  knew  that  the  climax  must  soon  be  reached,  which 
would  be  hastened  should  his  horse  fall.  In  a  moment  of  desper- 
ation he  turned  his  horse  aside,  like  a  hare  doubling  on  the  dogs, 
just  in  time  to  feel  the  swish  of  the  elephant's  trunk  as  it  grazed 
him,  but  the  momentum  of  the  great  brute  carried  him  by. 
Seeing  his  enemy  now  running  in  a  new  direction,  the  elephant 
broke  off  up  hill,  and  on  the  following  morning  was  found  dead 
in  a  jungle  not  far  distant  from  where  he  had  abandoned  the 
pursuit. 

ELEPHANT   PITS   AND    NATIVE   HUNTERS. 

ELEPHANT  flesh  is  very  poor  eating  to  white  men,  but  it  is 
highly  esteemed  by  the  black  races  of  Africa,  notwithstanding  its 
leathery  consistency  and  strong  taste  ;  the  fat  is  prized  above  the 
meat,  however,  as  it  is  used  both  for  food  and  to  grease  their 
bodies. 

The  more  common  method  used  by  the  natives  to  capture  ele- 
phants is  by  pit-falls  ;  these  are  dug  near  some  drinking  place, 
and  trees  are  so  felled  that  they  leave  only  a  pathway  in  which 
the  pit-falls  are  placed.  These  pits  are  usually  three  feet  broad, 
twelve  feet  long  and  nine  feet  deep,  tapering  toward  the  bottom  ; 
they  are  concealed  by  straw  and  sticks  over  which  elephant  dung 
is  scattered  to  complete  the  deception.  When  an  animal  falls 
into  the  pit  his  two  feet  are  jammed  together  in  the  narrow 


168  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

bottom,  and  so  nearly  upright  that  he  can  scarcely  move,  in 
which  helpless  condition  he  is  easily  dispatched  with  spears. 

Another  way  of  killing  elephants,  much  resorted  to — generally 
in  January,  when  the  prairies  are  parched — is  by  locating  a  large 
herd  and  then  firing  the  grass.  Surrounded  by  a  circle  of  fire, 
the  animals  huddle  together  or  blindly  rush  from  one  side  of  the 
circle  to  another  and  become  so  panic-stricken  that  there  is  no 
danger  incurred  in  attacking  them  with  spears  or  lances. 

The  next  method  of  hunting  is  perfectly  legitimate.  Should 
many  elephants  be  in  the  neighborhood,  the  natives  post  about  a 
hundred  men  in  as  many  large  trees  ;  these  men  are  armed  with 
heavy  lances  specially  adapted  to  this  sport,  with  blades  about 
eighteen  inches  long  and  three  inches  broad.  The  elephants  are 
driven  by  a  great  number  of  men  toward  the  trees  in  which  the 
spearmen  are  posted,  and  those  that  pass  sufficiently  near  are 
speared  between  the  shoulders.  The  spear  being  driven  deep 
into  the  animal,  creates  a  frightful  wound,  as  the  tough  handle, 
striking  against  the  intervening  branches  of  trees,  acts  as  a  lever, 
and  works  the  long  blade  of  the  spear  within  the  elephant, 
cutting  to  such  an  extent  that  he  soon  drops  from  exhaustion. 

The  best  and  only  really  great  elephan-t-hunters  of  the  White 
Nile  are  the  Bagara  Arabs,  on  about  the  13°  N.  lat.  These  men 
hunt  on  horseback,  and  kill  the  elephant  in  fair  fight  with  their 
spears.  The  lance  is  about  fourteen  feet  long,  of  male  bamboo  ; 
the  blade  is  about  fourteen  inches  long  by  nearly  three  inches 
broad,  and  as  sharp  as  a  razor.  Two  men,  thus  armed  and  mounted, 
form  the  hunting  party.  Should  they  discover  a  herd,  they  ride 
up  to  the  finest  tusker  and  single  him  from  the  others.  One 
man  now  leads  the  way,  and  the  elephant,  finding  himself 
pressed,  immediately  charges  the  horse.  There  is  much  art 
required  in  leading  the  brute,  who  follows  the  horse  with  great 
determination,  and  the  rider  adapts  his  pace  so  as  to  keep  his 
horse  so  near  that  his  attention  is  entirely  absorbed  with  the 
hope  of  catching  him.  The  other  hunter  should  by  this  time 
have  followed  close  to  the  elephant's  heels,  and,  dismounting 
when  at  full  gallop,  with  wonderful  dexterity,  he  plunges  his 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  169 

spear  with  both  hands  into  the  animal  about  two  feet  below  the 
junction  of  the  tail,  and  with  all  his  force  he  drives  the  weapon 
deep  into  the  abdomen,  and  withdraws  it  immediately.  Should 
he  be  successful  in  his  stab,  he  remounts  his  horse  and  flies,  or 
does  his  best  to  escape  on  foot,  should  he  not  have  time  to  mount, 
as  the  elephant  generally  turns  to  pursue  him.  His  comrade 
immediately  turns  his  horse,  and  dashing  at  the  elephant,  in  his 
turn  dismounts,  and  stabs  the  beast  with  his  lance. 

Generally,  if  the  first  thrust  is  scientifically  given,  the  elephant 
is  at  once  disabled.  Two  good  hunters  will  frequently  kill 
several  out  of  one  herd  ;  but  in  this  dangerous  hand-to-hand 
fighting  the  hunter  is  often  the  victim.  Hunting  the  elephant 
on  horseback  is  certainly  far  less  dangerous  than  on  foot,  but 
although  the  speed  of  the  horse  is  undoubtedly  superior,  the 
chase  generally  takes  place  upon  ground  so  disadvantageous  that 
he  is  liable  to  fall,  in  which  case  there  is  little  chance  for  either 
animal  or  rider. 

So  savage  are  the  natural  instincts  of  Africans  that  they  attend 
only  to  the  destruction  of  the  elephant,  and  never  attempt  its 
domestication. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   MAKKARIKA   CANNIBALS. 

AMONG  the  Turkish  soldiery  Ibrahim  had  left  at  Latooka,  was 
a  black  Bornu  man,  named  Ibrahimawa,  who  had  been  captured 
when  a  lad  twelve  years  old  and  sold  at  Constantinople  to  Moham- 
med Ali  Pasha.  This  man  had  been  to  London,  Paris,  and  all 
over  Europe,  and  besides  being  a  great  traveler  was  smart  and 
valorous.  He  was  an  object  of  much  interest  to  Baker,  from  the 
fact  that,  in  addition  to  his  travels,  he  had  served  for  some  years 
with  a  trading  party  that  had  penetrated  through  the  Makkarika 


170  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

country.  This  country  lies  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Gondo- 
koro,  and  is  inhabited  by  cannibals.  The  stories  of  his  adventures 
among  these  man-eaters  were  highly  edifying  and  of  no  little 
importance,  since  Baker's  steps  were  bent  in  that  direction. 

Ibrahimawa  and  many  of  his  party  hud  been  frequent  witnesses 
to  acts  of  cannibalism  during  their  residence  among  the  Makka- 
rikas.  They  described  these  cannibals  as  remarkably  good 
people,  but  possessing  a  peculiar  taste  for  dogs  and  human  flesh. 
They  accompanied  the  trading  parties  in  their  raids,  and  inva- 
riably ate  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  traders  complained  that 
they  were  bad  associates,  as  they  insisted  on  killing  and  eating 
the  children  which  the  party  wished  to  secure  as  slaves :  their 
custom  was  to  catch  a  child  by  its  ankles,  and  to  dash  its  head 
against  the  ground  ;  thus  killed,  they  extracted  the  stomach  and 
intestines,  and  tying  the  two  ankles  to  the  neck,  they  carried 
the  body  by  slinging  it  over  the  shoulder,  and  thus  returned  to 
camp,  where  they  divided  it  by  quartering,  and  boiled  it  in  a 
large  pot. 

On  one  occasion,  many  slave  women  and  children,  on  witness- 
ing such  a  scene,  rushed  panic-stricken  from  the  spot  and  took 
refuge  in  the  trees.  The  Makkarikas,  seeing  them  in  flight,  were 
excited  to  give  chase,  and  pulling  the  children  from  their  refuge 
among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  they  killed  several,  and  in  a 
short  time  a  great  feast  was  prepared  for  the  whole  party. 

ON  THE   MARCH  TO   OBBO. 

IBRAHIM  returned  from  Gondokoro  on  the  last  day  of  April, 
having  made  the  trip  with  much  expedition,  considering  the  large 
supply  of  ammunition  that  he  brought  back  with  him.  Having 
had  some  very  favorable  reports  from  the  Obbo  country,  whose 
natives  desired  to  trade  with  the  Turks,  Ibrahim  decided  to  pay 
it  a  visit,  much  to  the  delight  of  Baker,  who  had  now  only  fifteen 
men  and  no  porters ;  besides,  Obbo  lay  directly  in  the  path  of 
Baker's  intended  journey  to  the  Nile  source.  Accordingly,  on 
the  2d  of  May  the  two  parties  started  from  Latooka  for  the  new 
country,  forty  miles  distant,  their  friendship  being  now  well  and 
truly  cemented. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  171 

Most  of  the  country  traversed  in  going  to  Obbo  was  exceed- 
ingly beautiful,  being  richly  diversified  by  mountains,  on  the 
peaks  of  which  native  villages  could  be  seen,  impregnable  by 
position,  and  green  valleys  covered  with  large  herds  of  wild 
game  lent  variety  to  the  view.  There  was  also  an  abundance  of 
wild  fruits  and  nuts  of  most  delicious  taste,  providing  sufficient 
support  for  the  natives. 

The  journey  was  made  without  special  incident,  and  on  arrival 
they  were  most  hospitably  received  by  the  chief,  Katchiba,  who 
was  an  old  man,  but  a  great  clown  and  joker.  He  had  one 
specially  good  point,  however — he  did  not  beg. 

In  the  evening  an  entertainment  was  provided  by  the  chief  for 
his  visitors,  which  Baker  describes  as  follows:  "About  a 
hundred  men  formed  a  circle  ;  each  man  held  in  his  left  hand  a 
small,  cup-shaped  drum,  formed  of  hollowed  wood,  one  end  only 
being  perforated,  and  this  was  covered  with  the  skin  of  the 
elephant's  ear,  tightly  stretched.  In  the  centre  of  the  circle  was 
the  chief  dancer,  who  wore,  suspended  from  his  shoulders, 
an  immense  drum,  also  covered  with  the  elephant's  ear.  The 
dance  commenced  by  all  singing  remarkably  well  a  wild  but 
agreeable  tune  in  chorus,  the  big  drum  directing  the  time,  and 
the  whole  of  the  little  drums  striking  at  certain  periods  with  such 
admirable  precision  that  the  effect  was  that  of  a  single  instru- 
ment. The  dancing  was  most  vigorous,  and  far  superior  to 
anything  that  I  had  seen  among  either  Arabs  or  savages,  the 
figures  varying  continually,  and  ending  with  a  «  grand  galop  '  in 
double  circles,  at  a  tremendous  pace,  the  inner  ring  revolving  irf 
a  contrary  direction  to  the  outer,  the  effect  of  which  was 
excellent." 

CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE    OBBO   PEOPLE. 

THE  men  of  Obbo  wear  a  dress  consisting  of  a  skin  slung 
across  the  shoulder  and  loins,  but  the  women  are  almost  naked, 
and  instead  of  wearing  the  leather  apron  and  tail  of  the 
Latookas,  they  are  contented  with  a  slight  fringe  of  leather 
shreds,  about  four  inches  long  by  two  broad,  suspended  from  a 
The  unmarried  girls  go  entirely  naked ;  or,  if  they  are 


172  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

specially  rich  in  finery,  they  wear  two  or  three  strings  of  beads 
as  a  covering.  The  old  ladies  are  antiquated  Eves,  whose  dress 
consists  of  a  string  around  the  waist,  in  which  is  stuck  a  bunch 
of  green  leaves,  the  stalks  uppermost.  Some  of  the  more 
prudish  young  ladies  indulge  in  a  like  covering,  but  they  do  not 
appear  to  be  fashionable.  One  great  advantage  of  this  leaf 
costume  is  that  it  may  be  always  clean  and  fresh,  as  the  nearest 
bush  (if  not  thorny)  provides  a  clean  petticoat.  When  in  the 
society  of  these  very  simple  and  really  modest  Eves,  one  cannot 
help  reflecting  upon  the  Mosaical  descriptioi  of  our  first  parents, 
«'  and  they  sewed  fig  leaves  together." 

A   ROYAL    SORCERER. 

CHIEF — or  as  Speke  would  call  him,  king — Katchiba,  holds  his 
subjects  by  a  power  which  is  most  effective  among  savages,  viz  : 
sorcery.  Should  one  of  his  people  displease  him  or  refuse  a  gift 
asked  for,  the  old  chief  threatens  to  curse  his  goats  and  wither 
his  crops,  and  the  fear  of  his  power  usually  forces  obedience. 
Should  there  be  either  a  drouth  or  destructive  rainfall,  Katchiba 
assembles  his  subjects  and  in  a  fatherly  way  expresses  his  regrets 
that  their  conduct  has  forced  him  to  afflict  them  with  unfavorable 
weather,  but  that  it  is  their  own  fault.  If  they  are  so  greedy 
or  stingy  that  they  will  not  supply  him  properly,  how  can  they 
expect  him  to  regard  their  interests?  He  must  have  goats  and 
corn — "No  goats,  no  rain;  that's  our  contract,  my  friends." 
Should  his  people  complain  of  too  much  rain,  he  threatens  to 
pour  storms  and  lightning  upon  them  forever,  unless  they  bring 
him  corn,  beer  and  provisions. 

No  man  would  think  of  starting  upon  a  journey  without  first 
receiving  the  old  chief's  blessing,  which  is  supposed  to  act  as  a 
spell  to  avert  all  evil.  In  case  of  sickness  he  is  called  in  to 
charm  away  the  disease,  but  his  practice  exhibits  the  same 
fluctuating  results  that  attend  the  efforts  of  all  doctors.  In 
order  to  propitiate  this  royal  sorcerer,  his  people  frequently  pre- 
sent him  with  their  prettiest  daughters,  so  that  he  is  enabled  to 
keep  a  harem  at  every  village  in  his  country,  and  in  his  journeys 
he  is  at  home  wherever  he  goes.  His  multiplicity  of  wives  has 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  ]73 

made  him  a  famous  father ;  at  the  time  of  Baker's  visit  the  old 
chief  had  one  hundred  and  sixteen  children  living,  and  perhaps  as 
many  more  dead.  Each  village  in  the  Obbo  country  is  ruled  by 
one  of  his  sons,  so  that  the  entire  government  is  a  family  affair. 

A   FIXE    OLD    CHIEF. 

KATCHIBA  was  not  a  bad  man,  although  a  sorcerer,  and  he 
treated  Baker  with  much  kindness,  besides  furnishing  most  valu- 
able information  concerning  the  country  south  of  him.  It  was 
now  May,  and  he  told  Baker  that  on  account  of  the  Asua  river 
being  swollen  by  heavy  rains,  it  would  be  impossible  to  cross  it 
before  December,  and  he  must  therefore  postpone  his  departure. 
In  his  anxiety  to  proceed,  however,  Baker  left  his  wife  at  Obbo, 
under  a  guard  of  eight  men  and  the  immediate  care  of  Katchiba, 
who  promised  to  protect  her;  and  taking  three  men  with  him, 
he  started  upon  a  short  trip  to  test  the  accuracy  of  the  chief's 
assertions  in  regard  to  the  river. 

Proceeding  southward,  the  route  lay  through  a  lovely  country, 
park-like  and  well-wooded,  though  generally  overgrown  with 
grass  about  six  feet  high.  Upon  reaching  the  Asua  river  it  was 
found  to  be  a  roaring  torrent,  and  Baker's  conclusions  in  regard 
to  it  were  confirmed  by  a  local  chief,  who  assured  him  that  it 
could  not  be  crossed  during  the  rainy  season.  He  accordingly 
returned  to  Obbo. 

He  had  been  absent  more  than  a  week,  and  naturally  felt  some 
anxiety  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  his  wife,  but  he  found  her 
looking  remarkably  well,  and  regularly  installed  "at  home." 
Several  fat  sheep  were  tied  by  the  legs  to  pegs  in  front  of  the 
hut,  a  number  of  tame  fowls  were  pecking  around  the  entrance, 
and  she  met  her  husband  on  the  threshold  with  a  large  pumpkin 
shell  containing  about  a  gallon  of  native  beer.  These  luxuries 
were  all  presents  from  the  kind-hearted  old  chief,  who  soon 
appeared  upon  the  scene,  wearing  a  very  self-satisfied  countenance 
at  having  so  faithfully  carried  out  his  promise  to  protect  the 
white  woman.  Mrs.  Baker  gave  him  an  excellent  character;  he 
had  even  been  so  careful  of  her  safety  as  to  place  several  of  his 
own  sons  as  guards  over  the  hut  day  and  night.  Baker  accord- 


174 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ingly  presented  him  with  some  beads,  bracelets,  and  other  odds 
and  ends,  which  threw  him  into  ecstacies  of  delight.  Among 
the  presents  was  a  pair  of  sun-goggles,  which  he  placed  upon  his 
flat  nose  and  then  viewed  himself  with  great  complacency  in  a 
small  mirror,  which  had  also  been  given  to  him.  He  regarded 
his  presents  with  the  pleasure  and  pride  of  a  child,  and  his  kind 
old  heart  swelled  with  gratitude  toward  his  beloved  white  guests. 
Baker  noticed  that  the  old  chief  was  lame  in  the  back,  and  was 


THE  OLD  SORCERER  ON  HIS  TRAVELS. 


told  that  he  had  received  a  bad  fall  during  his  absence.  Mrs. 
Baker  laughingly  explained  the  matter.  Katchiba  had  come  to 
her  one  morning,  saying  that  he  wished  to  procure  some  chickens 
for  her  from  one  of  his  distant  villages,  but,  said  he,  "  my 
people  no  good ;  he  say  he  got  no  chicken — but  you  lend 
me  horse,  and  I  ride  him,  then  they  be  fraid  and  give  me 
plenty  chicken."  Katchiba  was  not  a  good  walker,  owing 
to  his  age  and  infirmities,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  his 
old  head  was  nearly  always  fuddled  with  large  draughts  of 
native  beer  that  he  constantly  guzzled.  His  usual  method 
of  traveling  was  upon  the  back  of  a  very  strong  subject,  precisely 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEES.  175 

as  children  ride  "  pick-a-pack."  He  generally  had  two  or  three 
spare  men,  who  alternately  acted  as  guides  and  ponies,  while  one 
of  his  wives  invariably  accompanied  him,  bearing  a  large  jar  of 
beer,  with  which  it  was  said  the  old  chief  refreshed  himself  so 
copiously  during  the  journey  that  it  sometimes  became  necessary 
for  two  men  to  carry  him  instead  of  one.  This  may  have  been 
merely  a  scandalous  report  in  Obbo  ;  however,  it  appeared  that 
Katchfba  was  ready  for  a  start,  as  usual  accompanied  by  a  Hebe 
with  a  jar  of  beer.  Confident  in  his  powers  as  a  rider  across 
country  on  a  man,  he  considered  that  he  could  easily  ride  a  horse. 
It  was  in  vain  that  Mrs.  Baker  protested,  and  prophesied  a  broken 
neck  should  he  attempt  to  bestride  the  hitherto  unknown  animal ; 
to  ride  he  was  determined.  Accordingly  one  of  the  blooded 
horses  was  brought  out,  and  Katchiba  was  assisted  upon  his 
back.  Recognizing  an  awkward  hand,  the  horse  did  not  move. 
"Go  on,"  said  Katchiba;  but  as  the  steed  did  not  understand 
che  Obbo  language,  he  remained  perfectly  still.  "Touch  him 
with  your  stick,"  cried  one  of  Baker's  men;  and,  acting  upon 
the  suggestion,  the  old  sorcerer  gave  him  a  tremendous  whack 
with  his  staff.  This  was  immediately  responded  to  by  the  spirited 
animal,  who,  quite  unused  to  such  eccentricities,  gave  a  vigorous 
kick,  the  effect  of  which  was  to  convert  the  sorcerer  into  a 
spread-eagle,  flying  head  over  heels,  and  landing  heavily  on  the 
ground,  amidst  roars  of  laughter'  from  the  crowd  that  had  col- 

o  *  o 

lected  to  witness  the  scene.  The  old  chief  was  assisted  upon 
his  feet,  and  being  considerably  stunned,  he  regarded  the  horse 
with  great  astonishment.  But  his  natural  instinct  prompted  him 
soon  to  call  for  his  beer,  and  after  a  long  draft  from  the  mighty 
cup  his  courage  returned.  He  made  no  further  effort,  however, 
to  ride  the  white  man's  horse,  expressing  the  sage  opinion  that 
he  was  "too  high — it  was  a  long  way  to  tumble  down." 

HETUEN   TO   LATOOKA. 

As  they  could  not  advance  southward  on  account  of  the  rainv 
season,  Baker  and  the  Turks  determined  to  return  to  their  former 
camp  at  Latooka,  wnere  supplies  were  more  abundant,  and 
Wait  until  the  weather  became  more  settled.  Before  parting  a 


176  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ceremony  had  to  be  performed  by  Katchiba,  whose  brother  was 
to  be  their  guide,  and  who  was  to  receive  power  as  deputy-magi- 
cian to  control  the  elements  during  the  journey.  With  great 
solemnity  the  dear  old  sorcerer  broke  a  branch  from  a  tree,  upon 
the  leaves  of  which  he  spat  in  several  places-.  The  branch  thus 
blessed  with  holy  water,  was  laid  upon  the  ground,  and  a  fowl 
was  dragged  around  it ;  he  then  handed  the  branch  to  his  brother, 
accompanied  by  a  magic  whistle  of  antelope's  horn,  both  of 
which  were  received  with  great  gravity.  All  the  natives  wore 
whistles  similar  in  appearance,  but  none  were  supposed  to  be 
effective  unless  previously  blessed  by  the  great  magician.  The 
ceremony  being  over,  the  travelers  took  leave  of  Katchiba, 
promising  soon  to  return,  and  departed  on  their  journey  amidst 
a  din  of  "  toot-too-too-ing "  from  rain  whistles  and  horns. 

POISON  YAMS. 

BORDERING  a  ravine,  near  which  they  camped  that  night,  were 
a  number  of  large  trees  covered  with  a  thorny  creeper,  the 
leaves  of  which  resembled  those  of  a  species  of  yam.  These 
Ibrahimawa,  the  traveled  Bornu  man — who  claimed  to  be  a 
learned  botanist, — at  once  pronounced  to  be  excellent  food,  and 
digging  at  the  roots  of  the  vines  he  soon  procured  a  basketful 
of  fine-looking  yams.  The  rest  of  the  men,  not  being  botanists, 
left  the  search  for  food  to  Ibrahimawa,  but  when  he  produced 
the  basketful  of  tempting-looking  food  they  made  a  rush  for  it 
and  helped  themselves.  The  scientific  botanist  was  left  without 
a  yam  ;  but  he  had  his  revenge.  The  roots  were  soon  cooked, 
and  the  men  ate  them  voraciously ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  they 
began  to  disappear  one  by  one,  and  from  a  distance  came  smoth- 
ered but  unmistakable  sounds  similar  to  those  produced  by  sea- 
sick passengers  on  a  rolling  ship.  All  who  had  dined  from 
Ibrahimawa' s  botanical  specimens  were  suffering  from  a  powerful 
"vomi-purgatif."  They  were  intensely  sick  for  about  an  hour, 
but  no  further  inconvenience  was  experienced  from  the  poison 
yams,  although  Ibrahimawa's  reputation  as  a  botanist  fell  to  a 
very  low  grade. 

Upon  reaching  the  Latooka  valley,  where  game  was  abundant, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


177 


a  herd  of  twenty  hartebeests  was  seen  peacefully  grazing  on  the 
plain.  Baker  dismounted  to  stalk  them,  but  he  had  scarcely  left 
his  h(  TOe  when  the  red  flags  of  the  Turks  attracted  the  attention 


of  a  large  gang  of  baboons,  that  at  once  set  up  a  chattering  and 
hoarse  cries  of  alarm  which  frightened  the  hartebeests.  One  of 
the  men  fired  at  a  large  baboon  sitting  on  a  rock,  and  by  accident 
shot  it  through  the  head.  It  was  about  the  size  of  a  large  mastiff, 


12 


178  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

and  had  a  long  brown  mane  like  that  of  the  lion.  This  is  much 
prized  by  the  natives  as  an  ornament,  which  is  cut  into  strips  and 
worn  round  the  body. 

As  the  party  went  into  camp  that  evening  Baker  rode  out  alone 
in  quest  of  game,  and  found  a  herd  of  giraffes,  whose  towering 
heads  could  be  seen  as  they  were  cropping  the  tops  of  mimosa 
trees.  Not  being  able  to  stalk  them,  he  relied  on  speed,  and 
chased  the  beautiful  animals  a  long  distance,  but  was  unable  to 
get  a  shot,  owing  to  the  dense  undergrowth  which  they  ran  into. 

A   TERRIBLE   AFFLICTION. 

ON  the  next  day  the  party  arrived  in  Latooka,  only  to  find  that 
small-pox  had  broken  out  in  a  virulent  form,  and  the  disease  was 
soon  communicated  to  the  Turkish  camp.  In  addition  to  this 
misfortune,  two  of  Baker's  best  horses  died,  as  did  also  three 
camels  and  five  donkeys,  while  his  wife  was  laid  up  with  gastric 
fever.  Although  the  entire  journey,  since  leaving  Gondokoro 
had  been  little  else  than  a  succession  of  misfortunes,  none  had 
equaled  those  which  they  were  now  experiencing.  The  Turkish 
camp  was  reeking  with  small-pox,  and  Baker,  as  a  precaution, 
had  to  change  his  quarters  and  pay  special  attention  to  his  men 
to  avoid  the  pestilence.  To  add  to  their  other  troubles,  Moy  and 
Commoro  induced  the  Turks  to  join  them  in  an  attack  upon  a 
Kayala  village,  from  which  a  great  many  cows  were  stolen,  and 
sixty-five  women  killed,  but  the  Turks  were  forced  to  retreat. 
Thus  more  enemies  were  made,  who  might  at  any  time  attack 
Latooka  in  return,  and  overwhelm  Baker  with  the  rest,  for  the 
natives  of  Kayala  were  powerful  and  warlike. 

BACK   TO   OBBO. 

THE  position  of  affairs  now  became  so  desperate  that  the  Turks 
iecided  to  proceed  once  more  to  Obbo,  and  as  Baker  was 
dependent  entirely  upon  them,  he  was  compelled  to  follow. 
Upon  reaching  that  place  again,  they  found  the  people  on  the 
verge  of  starvation  ;  the  small-pox  had  also  broken  out  among 
them,  and  they  were  dying  rapidly  from  this  dreadful  plague. 
In  addition  to  their  other  calamities,  the  Turks  had  robbed  th«> 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  179 

natives  of  nearly  everything,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  buy 
either  cows  or  oxen.  Soon  after  their  return  Baker's  last  horse 
died,  and  both  himself  and  wife  became  excessively  ill  from 
bilious  fever,  so  that  neither  could  assist  the  other.  The  kind 
old  chief,  hearing  that  they  were  dying,  came  to  charm  them 
with  his  magic.  He  found  the  invalids  lying  helpless,  and  imme- 
diately procured  a  small  branch  of  a  tree,  and  filling  his  mouth 
with  water,  he  squirted  it  over  the  leaves  and  about  the  floor  of 
the  hut,  he  then  waved  the  branch  around  his  patients'  heads, 
and  completed  the  ceremony  by  sticking  it  in  the  thatch  above 
the  doorway  ;  he  told  them  they  should  now  get  better,  and  per- 
fectly satisfied,  he  took  his  leave.  The  hut  was  swarming  with 
rats  and  white  ants  ;  the  former  racing  over  them  during  the 
night,  and  burrowing  through  the  floor,  filled  their  only  room 
with  mounds  like  mole-hills.  As  fast  as  the  holes  were  stopped, 
others  were  made  with  determined  perseverance.  Having  a 
supply  of  arsenic,  Baker  gave  them  an  entertainment,  the  effect 
being  disagreeable  to  all  parties,  as  the  rats  died  in  their  holes 
and  created  a  horrible  effluvium,  while  fresh  hosts  took  the  place 
of  the  departed.  Now  and  then  a  snake  would  be  seen  gliding 
within  the  thatch,  having  taken  shelter  from  the  pouring  rain. 

The  animals  were  no  better  off,  for  they  were  attacked  by  the 
dreadful  tsetse  fly,  so  that  they  soon  had  no  hair  left  on  their 
bodies,  and  died  one  after  another. 

A   VISIT   TO    KATCHIBA. 

AFTER  two  months  of  severe  illness,  Baker  and  his  wife  were 
sufficiently  recovered  to  be  out  again,  and  they  decided  to  pay  a 
morning  call  to  chief  Katchiba.  He  received  them  very  politely, 
and  begged  them  to  enter  his  principal  residence.  Creeping  on 
all  fours  through  the  narrow  doorway,  they  found  themselves  in 
the  presence  of  one  of  the  chief's  wives,  who  was  preparing 
merissa  beer.  The  whole  establishment  appeared  to  be  devoted 
to  the  brewing  of  this  drink,  of  which  Katchiba  was  excessively 
fond.  The  apartment  contained  several  immense  jars,  holding 
about  thirty  gallons  each,  in  one  of  which  the  chief  had  stored 
the  presents  that  he  had  received,  among  the  rest  a  red  flannel 


180  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

shirt  which  Baker  had  given  him,  and  which  he  considered 
exceedingly  recherche.  Several  dressed  ox-hides  were  spread  on 
the  ground,  and  the  chief  invited  his  visitors  to  be  seated,  Mrs. 
Baker  on  the  right  and  her  husband  on  the  left.  Then,  after  the 
beer  had  been  passed  around,  and  Katchiba  had  taken  enough  to 
warm  himself  up  pretty  well,  the  delightful  old  sorcerer  called 
for  his  harp,  and  after  tuning  it,  politely  asked  his  visitors  "  if 
he  should  sing  ?  "  Prepared  for  something  comic,  they  begged 
him  to  begin,  and  he  sang,  to  their  surprise,  a  most  plaintive, 
wild,  but  pleasing  air,  accompanying  himself  perfectly  on  the 
harp.  Music,  dancing,  and  drinking  beer  were  Katchiba's  prin- 
cipal amusements,  and  he  excelled  in  all  of  them.  The  enter- 
tainment over,  he  led  a  sheep  in  by  a  string,  and  begged  his 
guests  to  accept  it;  but  they  politely  declined,  saying  they  did 
not  expect  a  present,  but  had  merely  called  on  him  as  friends. 
He  accordingly  handed  the  sheep  to  his  wife,  and  they  departed  ; 
but  on  arriving  at  their  own  camp,  they  found  the  sheep  awaiting 
them.  The  following  day  Katchiba  returned  their  visit  in  great 
state,  carrying  a  large  red  flag  made  from  a  piece  of  cloth  the 
Turks  had  given  him,  and  accompanied  by  two  men  beating 
drums,  and  another  blowing  a  sort  of  clarionet. 

NEWS    FROM   THE    INTERIOR. 

WHILE  waiting  at  Obbo,  Baker's  hopes  were  somewhat  revived 
by  an  Unyora  slave  woman,  who  gave  him  a  very  good  account 
of  the  Luta  N'zige,  which  she  described  as  a  large  lake,  lying  in 
almost  the  exact  latitude  in  which  Baker  expected  to  find  the 
Alb'ert  N'yanza — the  object  of  his  expedition,  but  the  Asua  river 
was  still  too  badly  swollen  to  be  crossed  safely  ;  so  he  continued 
in  Obbo,  oppressed  with  fever  and  the  knowledge  that  the  Turks 
were  stirring  up  the  natives  to  war,  on  account  of  their  thievery. 
On  the  17th  of  October,  Baker  concludes  an  entry  in  his 
journal,  chiefly  descriptive  of  the  symptoms  of  an  approaching 
fever,  as  follows:  "My  stock  of  quinine  is  reduced  to  a  few 
grains,  and  my  work  lies  before  me;  my  cattle  are  all  dead. 
We  ar3  both  weakened  by  repeated  fever,  and  traveling  must  be 
on  foot." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  181 

KILLING   AN   ELEPHANT   AS    LARGE    AS    JUMBO. 

THE  rains  finally  ceased,  and  beautiful  crops  were  growing, 
which,  however,  were  seriously  threatened  by  elephants,  large 
herds  of  which  went  prowling  at  night,  eating  and  trampling  the 
crisp  tullaboon  plants — a  grain  somewhat  resembling  corn. 
Although  weak  and  feverish,  like  a  true  hunter,  Baker  was 
anxious  to  secure  some  of  the  big  game,  the  meat  of  which  he 
knew  would  be  very  acceptable  to  the  half-famished  natives. 
So,  taking  his  servant,  they  went  about  half-a-mile  from  the 
village,  and  dug  a  hole  in  which  to  hide,  and  at  night  the  watch 
began.  Baker  reports  the  result  as  follows  : 

"  There  was  no  sound  throughout  the  night.  I  was  well 
wrapped  up  in  a  Scotch  plaid,  but  an  attack  of  ague  came  on,  and 
I  shivered  as  though  in  Lapland.  I  had  several  rifles  in  the 
grave ;  among  others  the  *  Baby,'  that  carried  a  half-pound 
explosive  shell.  At  about  four,  A.  M.,  I  heard  the  distant  trum- 
pet of  an  elephant,  and  I  immediately  ordered  Richarn  to  watch, 
and  to  report  to  me  their  arrival.  It  was  extremely  dark,  but 
Richarn  presently  sank  slowly  down,  and  whispered,  «  Here  they 
are ! ' 

"  Taking  the  *  Baby,'  I  quietly  rose,  and  listening  attentively, 
I  could  distinctly  hear  the  elephants  tearing  off  the  heads  of  the 
tullaboon,  and  crunching  the  crisp  grain.  I  could  distinguish 
the  dark  forms  of  the  herd  about  thirty  paces  from  me,  but  much 
too  indistinct  for  a  shot.  I  stood  with  my  elbows  resting  on  the 
edge  of  the  hole,  and  the  heavy  rifle  balanced,  waiting  for  an 
opportunity.  I  had  a  paper  sight  arranged  for  night  shooting, 
and  several  times  tried  to  get  the  line  of  an  elephant's  shoulder, 
but  to  no  purpose.  While  waiting,  I  suddenly  heard  a  trumpet 
close  to  my  left,  and  quickly  perceived  an  elephant  walking 
toward  my  grave.  I  waited,  with  the  rifle  to  my  shoulder,  until 
he  was  within  about  twelve  paces;  I  then  whistled,  and  he 
stopped  and  turned,  exposing  his  side.  Taking  the  line  of  the 
foreleg,  I  fired  at  the  shoulder.  The  tremendous  flash  and  smoke 
of  ten  drachms  of  powder  completely  blinded  me,  and  the  sudden 
reaction  of  darkness  increased  the  obscurity." 


182  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  result  of  Baker's  shot  could  not  be  determined  that  night, 
but  early  in  the  morning  a  short  search  discovered  the  elephant 
standing  about  ten  yards  in  the  grass  jungle,  so  nearly  dead  on 
its  feet  that  it  fell  over  upon  making  an  attempt  to  move,  and 
died.  It  was  so  large  that  Baker  took  its  measurement,  and 
found  it  to  be  ten  feet  six  and  one-half  inches  in  height. 

The  word  being  given,  a  crowd  of  waiting  natives  rushed  upon 
the  huge  carcass,  and  about  three  hundred  people  were  soon 
attacking  it  with  knives  and  lances.  About  a  dozen  men  were 
working  inside  as  though  in  a  tunnel  ;  they  had  chosen  this 
locality  as  being  near  to  the  fat,  which  was  greatly  coveted. 

A    WILD    BOAR. 

A  FEW  days  after  killing  the  elephant  Baker  fired  the  grass 
and  then  strolled  over  the  burnt  ground  in  quest  of  game. 
Although  elephants  were  plentiful,  not  a  single  one  could  be 
found,  and  he  was  returning  to  his  hut  greatly  disappointed, 
when  there  suddenly  sprang  out  from  a  hole  in  his  pathway  a 
wild  boar  and  sow,  and  the  former  viciously  attacked  him.  It 
was  a  moment  of  extreme  peril,  but  quick  action  and  a  steady 
aim  saved  his  life.  He  fired  at  the  vicious  beast  and  killed  it 
almost  at  the  muzzle  of  the  gun.  The  natives  were  soon  apprized 
of  the  lucky  shot,  and  as  they  value  pork  above  all  other  meat, 
the  boar  was  very  quickly  cut  up  and  a  feast  prepared. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  wild  pigs  of  the  Obbo  country 
live  underground  ;  the  manis,  or  great  scaled  ant-eater,  burrows 
in  a  considerable  excavation  ;  these  habitations  the  pigs  enter, 
dispossess  the  manis,  and,  enlarging  the  retreat,  make  it  their 
abode. 

DEPARTURE   FOR   KAMRASl's    COUNTRY. 

JANUARY  had  now  arrived,  and  though  enfeebled  by  fever  and 
seriously  inconvenienced  by  the  loss  of  his  pack-animals,  Baker 
determined  to  proceed  south  in  quest  of  the  great  lake  which  he 
believed  formed  the  chief  source  of  the  Nile.  Reports  which 
Ibrahim  received  from  Kamrasi's  kingdom  to  the  south,  in 
regard  to  the  abundance  of  ivory  there,  prompted  the  Turk  to 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  183 

accompany  him,  particularly  since  neither  slaves  nor  ivory  had 
been  secured  in  the  Latooka  or  Obbo  countries.  In  fact,  up  to 
this  time  both  expeditions  had  been  practically  failures,  as  hard- 
ships had  been  constant  and  progress  retarded  by  incessant  diffi- 
culties. Ibrahim  had  a  force  of  more  than  two  hundred  men, 
and  this  made  his  company  very  agreeable  to  Baker,  who,  if 
alone,  must  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  murderous  Bari  tribes 
whose  business  was  war  and  plunder,  and  through  whose  country 
they  were  compelled  to  pass. 

Katchiba,  who  had  become  extremely  fond  of  his  white  guests, 
was  induced  to  sell  Baker  three  oxen,  which  were  purchased  as 
riding  animals,  as  these  were  more  serviceable  for  the  purpose 
than  any  other  animals  in  that  country.  On  the  5th  of  January 
the  combined  party  started  on  their  journey,  Mrs.  Baker  riding 
one  of  the  oxen  and  her  indomitable  husband  another,  while  the 
third  was  loaded  with  supplies.  On  account  of  extreme  shyness 
the  ox  which  Baker  rode  was  unharnessed  and  driven  awhile  until 
it  should  become  accustomed  to  the  people,  but  the  moment  it 
was  loosed  it  ran  off  with  all  possible  speed  into  the  jungle  and 
was  never  seen  again.  They  had  not  gone  far  when  a  large  fly 
fastened  on  the  rump  of  Mrs.  Baker's  ox,  the  effect  of  which 
was  to  produce  so  sudden  a  kick  and  plunge  that  she  was  thrown 
to  the  ground  with  much  violence,  bruising  and  stunning  her. 
Ibrahim  very  civilly  gave  her  another  ox,  however,  which  she 
was  fortunately  still  able  to  ride  ;  but  Baker  had  no  other  altern- 
ative than  to  walk,  although  he  was  so  weak  that  several  times 
the  caravan  had  to  halt  to  allow  him  to  rest ;  but  he  continued 
the  march  until  they  arrived  at  Farajoke,  eighteen  miles  from 
Obbo,  where  he  purchased  an  ox. 

A  COUNTRY  FLOWING  WITH  MILK  AND  HONEY. 

ON  the  13th  of  January  they  reached  a  town  called  Shooa, 
where  they  received  a  most  friendly  welcome,  and  found  the  place, 
in  figurative  language,  "flowing with  milk  and  honey."  Fowls, 
•butter,  goats,  etc.,  were  in  abundance  and  very  cheap;  beads 
were  of  great  value,  as  few  had  ever  reached  that  country.  The 
women  flocked  to  see  Mrs.  Baker,  bringing  presents  of  milk  and 


184  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

flour,  and  receiving  beads  and  bracelets  in  return.  The  people 
were  like  those  of  Obbo  in  language  and  appearance,  exceedingly 
mild  in  their  manner,  and  anxious  to  be  on  good  terms.  The 
cultivation  in  this  country  was  superior  to  anything  they  had  seen, 
and  the  people  appeared  to  be  in  a  very  prosperous  condition. 

THE   POLITE    FATIKOANS. 

REMAINING  in  Shooa  five  days,  to  recruit  and  perfect  their 
plans  for  the  future,  they  proceeded  on  their  way,  and  after  a 
march  of  eight  miles  came  to  the  village  of  Fatiko.  In  a  short 
time  the  natives  assembled  around  them  ;  they  were  wonderfully 
friendly,  and  insisted  upon  a  personal  introduction  to  both  Baker 
and  his  wife,  as  they  were  the  first  white  people  the  natives  had 
ever  seen.  They  were  thus  compelled  to  hold  a  levee  ;  not  the 
passive  and  cold  ceremony  of  the  whites,  but  a  most  active  under- 
taking, as  each  native  that  was  introduced  performed  the  salaam 
of  his  country,  by  seizing  both  of  his  visitor's  hands  and  raising 
the  arms  three  times  to  their  full  stretch  above  the  head.  After 
about  one  hundred  natives  had  been  thus  gratified,  Baker  gave 
the  order  to  saddle  the  oxen  immediately,  and.  they  escaped  a 
further  proof  of  Fatiko  affection  that  was  already  preparing,  aa 
masses  of  natives  were  streaming  down  the  rocks  hurrying  to  be 
introduced.  Notwithstanding  the  fatigue  of  the  ceremony,  thej 
took  a  great  fancy  to  these  poor  people ;  they  had  prepared  a 
quantity  of  merissa  and  a  sheep  for  their  lunch,  which  they  begged 
their  guests  to  remain  and  enjoy  before  they  started  ;  but  the 
pumping  action  of  half  a  village  was  too  much  ;  and  mounting 
their  oxen,  with  aching  shoulders,  they  bade  adieu  to  Fatiko. 

ARRIVAL   IN   KAMRASl's    COUNTRY. 

AFTER  several  days'  marching  through  a  most  lovely  country, 
they  approached  the  Karuma  Falls,  close  to  the  village  of  Atada. 
The  heights  were  crowded  with  natives,  and  a  canoe  was  sent 
across  to  within  parleying  distance.  Bacheeta,  the  black  woman 
who  acted  as  interpreter,  now  explained  that  "  Speke's  brother* 
had  arrived  from  his  country  to  pay  Kamrasi  a  visit,  and  had 
brought  him  valuable  presents."  "  Why  has  he  brought  so  many 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


185 


men  with  him?'*  inquired  the  people  from  the  canoe.  "There 
are  so  many  presents  for  the  king  that  he  has  many  men  to  carry 
them,"  shouted  Bacheeta.  "Let  us  look  at  him,"  cried  the 


headman  in  the  boat ;  and  having  prepared  for  the  introduction 
by  changing  his  clothes  to  a  tweed  suit,  something  similar  to  that 
worn  by  Speke,  Baker  climbed  up  a  high  and  almost  perpendic- 


186  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ular  rock  that  formed  a  natural  pinnacle  on  the  face  of  the  cliff, 
and  waving  his  cap  to  the  crowd  on  the  opposite  side,  he  instructed 
Bacheeta  to  shout  to  the  people  that  an  English  lady,  his  wife, 
had  also  arrived,  and  that  they  wished  immediately  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  king  and  his  family,  as  they  had  come  to  thank 
him  for  his  kind  treatment  of  Speke  and  Grant,  who  had  arrived 
safe  in  their  own  country.  Upon  this  being  explained  and 
repeated  several  times,  the  canoe  approached  the  shore.  Baker 
ordered  all  the  people  to  retire,  and  to  conceal  themselves  among 
the  plantains,  that  the  natives  might  not  be  startled  by  so  im- 
posing a  force,  while  he  and  Mrs.  Baker  advanced  alone  to  meet 
Kamrasi's  people,  who  were  men  of  some  importance.  Upon 
landing  through  the  high  reeds,  they  immediately  recognized  the 
similarity  of  Baker's  beard  and  general  coinplexion  to  that  of 
Speke ;  and  their  welcome  was  at  once  displayed  by  the  most 
extravagant  dancing  and  gesticulating  with  lances  and  shields,  as 
though  intending  to  attack,  rushing  at  the  travelers  with  the  points 
of  their  lances  thrust  close  to  their  faces,  and  shouting  and 
singing  in  great  excitement. 

THE     UNYORO   NATIVES. 

THE  difference  between  the  people  of  Unyoro  (Kamrasi's 
country)  and  the  tribes  they  had  hitherto  seen  was  most  striking. 
On  the  north  side  of  the  river  the  natives  were  either  stark  naked 
or  wore  a  mere  apology  for  clothing,  in  the  shape  of  a  skin  slung 
across  their  shoulders  ;  the  river  appeared  to  be  the  limit  of  utter 
savagedom,  and  the  people  of  Unyoro  considered  the  indecency 
of  nakedness  precisely  in  the  same  light  as  among  Europeans. 
The  men  wore  robes  of  dark  cloth  arranged  in  various  fashions, 
generally  either  like  the  Arab  "  tope,"  or  the  Roman  toga. 

In  spite  of  the  very  friendly  reception,  the  explorers  were  still 
not  permitted  to  cross  the  river.  Only  a  few  months  before  a 
party  of  Arabs  had  allied  themselves  with  Rionga,  Kamrasi's 
deadly  enemy,  and  made  an  attack  on  the  latter' s  people,  slaying 
three  hundred  of  them.  This  made  the  king  suspicious  of  all 
strangers,  and  he  had  given  strict  orders  that  none  should  be 
ferried  across  the  river.  The  travelers  were  therefore  compelled 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS* 

to  remain  on  the  opposite  bank  two  days  longer,  but  finally 
succeeded,  through  a  liberal  display  of  presents  and  the  use  of 
various  stratagems,  in  getting  over  the  stream. 

Still  their  troubles  were  not  ended,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
Baker  was  permitted  to  have  an  interview  with  the  king.  He 
and  his  wife  were  both  so  prostrated  with  fever  at  this  time  that 
they  had  to  be  carried  in  litters,  and  Kamrasi's  procrastination 
worried  them  greatly.  Finally  it  was  announced  that  the  king 
was  ready  to  receive  them,  and  although  more  fit  for  a  hospital 
than  an  interview,  Baker  instructed  his  men  to  carry  him  into  the 
presence  of  the  African  potentate.  He  was  shortly  laid  on  a  mat 
at  the  king's  feet,  whom  he  found  to  be  a  fine-looking  man,  but 
with  a  peculiar  expression  of  countenance,  owing  to  his  extremely 
prominent  eyes  ;  he  was  about  six  feet  high,  beautifully  clean, 
and  was  dressed  in  a  long  robe  of  bark-cloth  most  gracefully 
folded.  The  nails  of  his  fingers  and  toes  were  carefully  attended, 
and  his  complexion  was  about  as  dark  a  brown  as  that  of  an 
Abyssinian.  He  sat  upon  a  copper  stool  placed  upon  a  carpet 
of  Iwopard  skins,  and  was  surrounded  by  about  ten  of  his  prin- 
cipal chiefs. 

This  interview  proved  to  be  a  pleasant  one,  and  after  explain- 
ing that  the  object  of  his  visit  to  Unyoro  was  to  find  the  great 
lake  from  which  the  Nile  flows,  Baker  ordered  his  men  to  unpack 
a  Persian  carpet,  which  was  spread  upon  the  ground  before  the 
king.  He  then  gave  him  a  large  white  Cashmere  mantle,  a  red 
silk  netted  sash,  a  pair  of  scarlet  Turkish  shoes,  several  pairs  of 
socks,  a  double-barreled  gun  and  ammunition,  and  a  great  heap 
of  first-class  beads  made  up  into  gorgeous  necklaces  and  girdles. 
Kamrasi  took  very  little  notice  of  the  presents,  but  requested 
that  the  gun  might  be  fired  off.  This  was  done,  to  the  utter 
confusion  of  the  crowd,  who  rushed  away  in  such  haste  that 
they  tumbed  over  each  other  like  so  many  rabbits  ;  this  delighted 
the  king,  who,  although  himself  startled,  now  roared  with 
laughter.  He  told  Baker  that  he  must  be  hungry  and  thirsty, 
therefore  he  hoped  he  would  accept  something  to  eat  and  drink : 
accordingly  he  presented  him  with  seventeen  cows,  twenty  pots 
of  sour  plantain  cider,  and  many  loads  of  unripe  plantains. 


188  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

On  the  following  morning  the  king  visited  Baker  in  his  hut, 
and  solicited  him  to  join  in  an  expedition  against  Rionga.  This 
request  was  declined,  as  the  explorers  could  not  afford  to  embroil 
themselves  with  any  of  the  natives.  Baker  was  extremely  anx- 
ious to  proceed,  as  he  and  his  wife  were  both  sick  and  out  of 
medicine ;  so  he  importuned  Kamrasi  for  porters  and  guides. 
These  were  readily  promised — "  to-morrow."  But  the  king's 
promises  resulted  in  nothing;  he  was  determined  to  keep  the 
travelers  with  him,  if  possible,  as  long  as  they  had  anything  to 
give.  He  continued  to  put  them  off  from  day  to  day,  constantly 
begging  for  everything  he  saw,  being  particularly  anxious  to 
secure  Baker's  watch,  which  was  the  last  one  he  had,  and  could 
not  be  parted  with.  Speke  had  given  Kamrasi  several  watches, 
also  a  chronometer  and  compass,  but  all  these  were  now  "  dead," 
as  the  king  declared,  and  he  wanted  at  least  one  "  live  one." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DEPARTURE    FOR   THE    LAKE. 

AFTER  a  provoking  and  unreasonable  delay  of  three  weeks  at 
Unyoro,  Kamrasi  provided  porters  and  guides  and  suffered 
Baker  to  depart,  Ibrahim  remaining  ;  but  at  the  first  camping- 
place,  about  ten  miles  on  the  journey,  the  king  overtook  the 
party  for  the  purpose,  he  explained,  of  taking  a  final  leave,  but 
in  reality  to  try  again  for  the  watch  and  the  other  things  which 
his  importunities  had  failed  to  secure.  Baker  gave  him  some 
handkerchiefs  and  several  opal  beads,  but  again  refused  to  give 
him  the  watch,  as  parting  with  the  only  time-piece  in  the  company 
would  cause  much  inconvenience,  while  it  could  be  of  no  service 
to  the  king.  All  his  argument  with  the  greedy  savage  was  of  no 
avail,  and  when  he  again  requested  leave  to  depart,  Kamrasi,  in 
the  coolest  manner,  replied,  "  I  will  send  you  to  the  lake,  as  I 
have  promised  ;  but  you  must  leave  your  wife  with  me  9"  This 
insult  so  incensed  Baker  that,  drawing  his  revolver  and  placin« 
its  muzzle  within  two  feet  of  the  king,  he  told  him  that  should  he 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  189 

dare  to  repeat  such  language  he  would  shoot  him  on  the  spot,  at 
the  same  time  explaining  that  in  England  such  insolence  would 
be  certain  to  provoke  bloodshed.  Mrs.  Baker  also  gave  expres- 
sion to  her  indignation  in  such  a  way  that  the  king,  no  doubt, 
was  glad  his  proposition  was  not  accepted.  "Don't  be  angry  !" 
he  exclaimed  ;  "I  had  no  intention  of  offending  you  by  asking 
for  your  wife;  I  will  give  you  a  wife,  if  you  want  one,  and  I 
thought  you  might  have  no  objection  to  give  me  yours  ;  it  is  my 
custom  to  give  my  visitors  pretty  wives,  and  I  thought  you  might 
exchange.  Don't  make  a  fuss  about  it ;  if  you  don't  like  it, 
there's  an  end  of  it ;  I  will  never  mention  it  again."  Baker 
received  this  very  practical  apology  sternly,  and  insisted  upon 
starting.  The  king  seemed  rather  confused  at  having  committed 
himself,  and  to  make  amends  he  called  his  people  and  ordered 
them  to  carry  the  loads.  His  men  ordered  a  number  of  women 
who  had  assembled  out  of  curiosity  to  shoulder  the  luggage  and 

•/ 

carry  it  to  the  next  village,  where  they  would  be  relieved.  Baker 
assisted  his  wife  upon  her  ox,  and  with  a  very  cold  adieu  to 
Kamrasi,  they  turned  their  backs  gladly  upon  that  country. 

A    SATANIC    GUARD. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  his  enfeebled  condition,  Baker  rejoiced  that 
he  was  finally  rid  of  the  persistent  old  beggar,  and  the  cavalcade 
moved  southward  along  the  banks  of  the  Kafoor  river  with 
excellent  progress.  As  they  approached  the  next  village,  at  least 
six  hundred  men  came  rushing  out  with  spears  and  lances  to 
receive  them.  Baker's  men  thought  they  were  to  be  attacked, 
but  his  experienced  judgment  told  him  different,  for  women  and 
children  were  mixed  up  with  the  crowd  of  natives,  which  is  never 
the  case  when  an  attack  is  intended. 

"With  a  rush  like  a  cloud  of  locusts,"  says  Baker,  "the 
natives  closed  around  us,  dancing,  gesticulating  and  yelling 
before  my  ox,  feigning  to  attack  us  with  spears  and  shields,  then 
engaging  in  sham  fights  with  each  other,  and  behaving  like  so 
many  madmen.  A  very  tall  chief  accompanied  them.  One 
of  their  men  was  suddenly  knocked  down  and  attacked  by  the 
crowd  with  sticks  and  lances,  and  lay  on  the  ground  covered 


190 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  191 

with  blood :  what  his  offense  had  been  I  did  not  hear.  The 
entire  crowd  were  most  grotesquely  gotten  up,  being  dressed  in 
either  leopard  or  white  monkey  skins,  with  cows'  tails  strapped 
on  behind,  and  antelopes'  horns  fitted  upon  their  heads,  while 
their  chins  were  ornamented  with  false  beards,  made  of  the  bushy 
ends  of  cows'  tails  sewed  together.  Altogether,  I  never  saw  a 
more  unearthly  set  of  creatures  ;  they  were  perfect  illustrations 
of  my  childish  ideas  of  devils — horns,  tails,  and  all,  excepting 
the  hoofs ;  they  were  our  escorts  furnished  by  Kamrasi  to 
accompany  us  to  the  lake." 

The  following  morning  Baker  found  much  difficulty  in  getting 
the  escort  together,  as  they  had  been  foraging  throughout  the 
neighborhood ;  these  "devil's  own"  were  a  portion  of  Kam- 
rasi's  troops,  who  considered  themselves  entitled  to  plunder  ad 
libitum  throughout  the  march  ;  however,  after  some  delay,  they 
collected,  and  their  tall  chief,  who  evidently  considered  himself 
an  important  personage,  from  the  lofty  manner  in  which  he 
strutted  about,  approached,  and  begged  that  a  gun  might  be  fired 
as  a  curiosity.  The  escort  crowded  around,  and  as  the  boy  Saat 
was  close  to  Baker,  he  ordered  him  to  fire  his  gun.  This  was 
Saat's  greatest  delight,  and  bang  went  one  barrel  unexpectedly 
close  to  the  tall  chief's  ear.  The  effect  was  charming.  The 
chief  thought  his  time  had  come,  and  clasping  his  head  with  both 
hands,  he  ran  howling  into  the  woods:  the  others  were  no  less 
excited,  and  in  a  very  few  moments  not  one  of  the  escort  of  three 
hundred  was  visible — they  had  all  fled  from  the  instrument  that 
Vomited  thunder  and  lightning.  It  required  several  hours  of 
patient  search  and  coaxing  to  get  them  back  again,  so  that  the 
joke  was  more  upon  Baker,  perhaps,  than  upon  the  frightened 
natives. 

AN  HOUR  OF   SOREST  TRIAL. 

THE  expedition  moved  forward,  and  on  the  sixth  day  out, 
having  made  a  detour,  came  again  upon  the  Kafoor  river,  at  a 
bend  where  it  became  necessary  to  cross  it.  The  stream  was  in 
the  center  of  a  marsh,  and  although  deep,  it  was  so  covered  with 
thickly  matted  water-grass,  and  other  aquatic  plants,  that  a 


192  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

natural  floating  bridge  was  formed  two  feet  thick,  over  which  it 
was  possible  to  pass  by  stepping  quickly.  Baker  started  across 
with  his  wife  following,  but  when  near  mid-stream,  he  looked 
back  and  was  horrified  to  see  her  standing  still,  sinking  gradually 
through  the  weeds,  while  her  face  was  distorted  and  purple. 
Rushing  to  her  side,  he  found  her  insensible,  and  quickly  calling 
two  of  the  men  to  his  assistance,  they  dragged  her  to  the  shore, 
for  if  they  had  attempted  to  carry  her,  all  would  have  sunk 
through  the  grass  bridge  into  the  water  beneath. 

On  reaching  the  shore,  Mrs.  Baker  was  laid  under  a  tree,  and 
her  face  and  hands  were  bathed,  but  she  continued  insensible,  as 
though  dead,  with  teeth  and  hands  firmly  clenched,  and  eyes  open 
but  fixed.  A  litter  was  hastily  constructed,  upon  which  she  was 
carried  mournfully  forward  like  a  corpse.  Every  few  minutes  a 
halt  was  necessary,  as  a  painful  rattling  in  the  throat  betokened 
suffocation,  which  an  elevation  of  her  head  could  alone  relieve. 
At  night  the  poor  woman  was  laid  in  a  hut  and  carefully  attended 
by  her  husband,  but  she  remained  insensible.  For  three  days 
and  nights  she  lay  in  a  comatose  state,  every  fleeting  breath  anx- 
iously watched  by  her  distracted  companion.  The  third  morning 
came,  and  Baker  thus  describes  what  came  with  it : 

"My  lamp  had  just  burnt  out,  and,  cramped  with  the  night's 
watching,  I  rose  from  my  low  seat,  and  seeing  that  she  lay  in  the 
same  unaltered  state,  I  went  to  the  door  of  the  hut  to  breathe 
one  gasp  of  the  fresh  morning  air.  I  was  watching  the  first  red 
streak  that  heralded  the  rising  sun,  when  I  was  startled  by  the 
words,  «  Thank  God,'  faintly  uttered  behind  me.  Suddenly  she 
awoke  from  her  torpor,  and  with  a  heart  overflowing  I  went  to 
her  bedside.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  madness  !  She  spoke,  but 
the  brain  was  gone  !" 

Brain  fever  now  set  in,  and  lasted  seven  days,  during  all  of 
which  time  they  were  compelled  to  travel,  as  they  could  not 
remain  in  one  place.  At  last,  on  the  seventh  morning,  broken 
down  with  watching  and  fatigue,  Baker  fell  asleep.  He  says : 
"  The  sun  had  risen  when  I  awoke.  I  had  slept,  and  horrified  as 
the  idea  flashed  upon  me  that  she  must  be  dead,  and  that  I  had 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  193 

not  been  with  her,  I  started  up.  She  lay  upon  her  bed,  pale  as 
marble,  and  with  that  calm  serenity  that  the  features  assume 
when  the  cares  of  life  no  longer  act  upon  the  mind,  and  the  body 
rests  in  death.  The  dreadful  thought  bowed  me  down  ;  but  as  I 
gazed  upon  her  in  fear,  her  chest  gently  heaved,  not  with  the 
convulsive  throbs  of  fever,  but  naturally.  She  was  asleep  ;  and 
when  at  a  sudden  noise  she  opened  her  eyes,  they  were  culm  and 
clear.  She  was  saved  !  When  not  a  ray  of  hope  remained,  God 
alone  knows  what  helped  us.  The  gratitude  of  that  moment  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe." 

They  now  remained  in  camp  two  days,  to  afford  Mrs.  Baker 
rest,  but  she  gained  very  slowly  in  strength,  having  neither  med- 
icine nor  any  of  the  delicacies  so  necessary  to  a  sick  person.  It 
was  finally  decided  to  proceed  on  the  journey,  and  carry  her  in  a 
litter,  which  was  so  arranged  as  to  make  her  as  comfortable  as 
possible. 

CARRYING    AN    OX    EIGHT    MILES. 

THE  route  now  lay  through  swamps,  chocked  with  immense 
papyrus  rushes  ;  and  in  passing  through  a  muddy  bottom  one  of 
the  riding  oxen  that  was  ill  stuck  fast,  and  had  to  be  abandoned. 
On  arriving  at  the  next  village,  fifty  men  were  hired  to  return 
and  drag  the  ox  out  with  ropes,  so  that  its  life  might  be  saved, 
while  Baker  and  his  party  continued  on  to  a  village  some  eight 
miles  distant,  where  they  camped  for  the  night.  Shortly  after 
sunset  they  suddenly  heard  a  great  singing  in  chorus  advancing 
rapidly  from  a  distance.  At  first  they  imagined  that  the  natives 
intended  to  compliment  them  with  a  dance  ;  but  in  a  few  minutes 
the  boy  Saat  introduced  a  headman,  who  told  Baker  that  the 
riding  ox  had  died  in  the  swamp  where  he  had  stuck  fast  in  the 
morning,  and  that  the  natives  had  brought  his  body  to  camp. 
«?What!"  he  exclaimed,  "brought  his  body,  the  entire  ox,  to 
me?"  "The  entire  ox  as  he  died  is  delivered  at  your  door," 
answered  the  headman  ;  "  I  could  not  allow  any  of  your  property 
to  be  lost  upon  the  road.  Had  the  body  of  the  ox  not  been 
delivered  to  you,  we  might  have  been  suspected  of  having  stolen 
it."  They  had  carried  the  ox  about  eight  miles  on  a  litter,  which 
13 


194  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

they  had  constructed  of  two  immensely  long  posts  with  cross- 
pieces  of  bamboo,  upon  which  they  had  laid  the  body.  They 
would  not  eat  the  flesh,  and  seemed  quite  disgusted  at  the  idea, 
as  they  replied  that  "  it  had  died." 

DISCOVERY    OF    ALBERT    LAKE. 

THE  guides  informed  Baker  that  the  place  where  they  were 
camping  was  only  one  day's  journey  from  the  great  lake,  and 
that  night  he  slept  but  little.  For  years  he  had  striven  to  reach 
the  "  sources  of  the  Nile,"  and  after  so  much  hard  work,  suffer- 
ing and  perseverance  the  cup  was  at  his  lips — before  another  sun 
would  set  his  eyes  would  rest  upon  the  great  reservoir  of  Nature 
that  ever  since  creation  had  baffled  all  discovery.  The  weary 
but  triumphant  explorer  can  best  describe  his  own  feelings  on 
this  great  occason.  "  The  sun  had  not  risen,"  he  says,  "  when 
I  was  spurring  my  ox  after  the  guide,  who,  having  been  promised 
a  double  handful  of  beads  on  arrival  at  the  lake,  had  caught  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  moment.  The  day  broke  beautifully  clear, 
and  having  crossed  a  deep  valley  between  the  hills,  we  toiled  up 
the  opposite  slope.  I  hurried  to  the  summit.  The  glory  of  our 
prize  burst  suddenly  upon  me  !  There,  like  a  sea  of  quicksilver, 
lay  far  beneath  the  grand  expanse  of  water, — a  boundless  sea 
horizon  on  the  south  and  southwest,  glittering  in  the  noon-day 
sun  ;  and  on  the  west,  at  fifty  or  sixty  miles  distance,  blue  moun- 
tains rose  from  the  bosom  of  the  lake  to  a  height  of  about  7,000 
feet  above  its  level.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  triumph  of 
that  moment ; — here  was  the  reward  for  all  our  labor — for  the 
years  of  tenacity  with  which  we  had  toiled  through  Africa. 
England  had  won  the  sources  of  the  Nile  !  Long  before  I  reached 
this  spot,  I  had  arranged  to  give  three  cheers  with  all  our  men  in 
English  style  in  honor  of  the  discovery,  but  now  that  I  looked 
down  upon  the  great  inland  sea  lying  nestled  in  'he  very  heart  of 
Africa,  and  thought  how  vainly  mankind  had  sought  these  sources 
throughout  so  many  ages,  and  reflected  that  I  had  been  the 
humble  instrument  permitted  to  unravel  this  portion  of  the  great 
mystery  when  so  many  greater  than  I  had  failed,  I  felt  too  serious 
to  veut  my  feelings  ia  vuia  cheers  for  victory,  and  I  sincerely 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  195 

thanked  God  for  having  guided  and  supported  us  through  all 
dangers  to  the  good  end.  We  were  about  1,500  feet  above  the 
lake,  and  I  looked  down  from  the  steep  granite  cliff  upon  those 
welcome  waters — upon  that  vast  reservoir  which  nourished  Egypt 
and  brought  fertility  where  all  was  wilderness — upon  that  great 
source  so  long  hidden  from  mankind  ;  that  source  of  bountv 
and  of  blessings  to  millions  of  human  beings  ;  and  as  one  of  the 
greatest  objects  in  nature  T  determined  to  honor  it  with  a  great 
name.  As  an  imperishable  memorial  of  one  loved  and  mourned 
by  our  gracious  Queen  and  deplored  by  every  Englishman,  I 
called  the  great  lake  *  the  Albert  N'yanza.'  The  Victoria  and  the 
Albert  lakes  are  the  two  sources  of  the  Nile.  My  wife,  who  hud 
followed  me  so  devotedly,  stood  by  my  side,  pale  and  exhausted— 
a  wreck  upon  the  shores  of  the  great  Albert  Lake  that  we  had 
so  long  striven  to  reach.  No  European  foot  had  ever  trod  upon 
its  sand,  nor  had  the  eyes  of  a  white  man  ever  scanned  its  vast 
expanse  of  water.  We  were  the  first ;  and  this  was  the  key  to 
the  great  secret  that  even  Julius  Caesar  yearned  to  unravel,  but 
in  vain." 

SALT    MAKING    IN   AFRICA. 

THEY  painfully  descended  to  the  lake  shore,  assisting  one 
another  down  the  steep  cliff,  both  being  so  weak  from  sickness 
and  fatigue  that  they  could  scarcely  walk.  On  the  beach  they 
found  a  small  village,  called  Vacovia,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
were  fishers,  as  evidenced  by  the  large  amount  of  crude  tackle 
displayed  before  every  hut.  The  soil  was  so  impregnated  with 
salt  as  to  unfit  it  for  cultivation,  and  yet  salt  itself  was  most 
difficult  to  procure,  impossible  in  a  pure  state.  The  process 
employed  by  the  natives  to  secure  this  necessary  article,  was  by 
placing  quantities  of  the  saline  mud  in  vessels  and  allowing  it  to 
drain  through  perforations  in  the  bottom  ;  this  drainage  was  sub- 
mitted to  a  cleansing  process  of  imperfect  distillation,  and  then 
boiled.  The  product,  though  salt,  is  very  bitter  and  unpleasant 
to  the  taste.  In  other  sections  of  Africa  the  means  for  manu- 
facturing salt  are  equally  defective.  At  Latooka,  for  example, 
it  is  made  chiefly  of  goats'  dung,  which  is  burned  to  ashes,  these 


196  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

are  saturated,  after  which  the  water  is  strained  and  evaporated 
by  boiling.  Another,  much  poorer,  quality  is  made  of  a  peculiar 
grass,  that  has  a  thick,  fleshy  stem,  something  like  sugar-cane. 
This  is  reduced  to  ashes,  which  are  subjected  to  a  similar  process. 
So  precious  is  English  salt  in  Africa  that  the  natives  will  eat  it 
by  handfuls  with  the  greatest  relish,  and  will  barter  supplies  for 
it  more  readily  than  for  beads  or  other  trinkets. 

A    SAIL    ON   ALBERT    LAKE. 

VACOVIA  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  coast-line,  from 
where  the  lake  has  its  outlet  in  the  Nile  river.  The  season  was 
very  late  and  Baker  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  get  back  to  Gon- 
dokoro  before  the  last  of  April,  in  time  for  the  annual  trading 
boats  from  Khartoifm,  which,  if  he  missed,  he  would  be  delayed 
another  year  in  reaching  England.  Traveling  by  land  had  become 
very  monotonous  and  painful,  and  besides,  all  the  party  was  sick 
of  fever,  so  they  now  prepared  to  journey  in  canoes  as  far  as 
possible.  After  a  stay  of  eight  days  in  Vacovia,  they  started  in 
two  canoes,  the  carrying  capacity  of  each  being  twenty-five  men 
and  necessary  luggage.  The  first  day's  voyage  was  delightful, 
the  air  being  bracing,  though  the  temperature  was  very  warm. 
Hippopotami  and  crocodiles  were  numerous,  both  in  and  out  of 
the  water,  lying  along  the  banks  or  sporting  near  the  shore.  At 
night  a  camp  was  made  close  by  a  small  village,  from  which  a 
few  fowls  and  one  young  kid  were  purchased.  In  the  morning 
Baker  discovered  that  all  the  oarsmen,  whom  Kamrasi  had  fur- 
nished him,  had  absconded.  His  party  was  now  reduced  to  his 
own  force  of  thirteen  men,  but  his  progress  was  not  materially 
affected,  for  in  the  evening  he  secured  twenty  more  oarsmen 
from  the  next  village. 

On  the  next  day  a  bay  had  to  be  crossed  that  was  eight  miles 
wide,  and  while  nearly  in  the  centre  of  it  a  storm  arose,  which 
came  so  near  swamping  the  boats  that  the  most  desperate  bailing 
by  all  hands  barely  kept  them  afloat.  They  steered  toward  the 
beach,  and  just  as  the  canoes  struck  the  sand  a  large  wave  over- 
whelmed them  and  left  them  struggling  in  the  water,  while  all 
the  provisions  were  destroyed.  Fortunately,  a  village  was  near 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


197 


by,  and   the  party  took  possession  of  some  huts,   dried  their 
clothes,  and  as  far  as  possible  repaired  their  losses. 

They  remained  here  two  days,  entertained  by  the  natives, 
who,  in  addition  to  supplying  them  with  food,  honored  them 
with  music,  dancing  and  games.  Baker  was  much  interested 
in  their  musical  instruments,  which  were  curiously  and  ingeni- 
ously made,  and  produced  a  harmony  that,  though  wild,  was  not 
discordant. 


NATIVE  BAND  AND  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS. 


Directly  after  leaving  this  village,  Baker  killed  a/large  croco- 
dile, measuring  sixteen  feet  in  length,  which  his  men  soon  cut  up 
into  chunks  ready  for  the  pot ;  but  he  could  not  relish  such 
meat,  as  it  had  a  combined  flavor  of  bad  fish,  decayed  flesh,  and 
musk. 

Large  herds  of  elephants  and  great  numbers  of  hippopotami 
were  almost  continually  in  sight,  but  time  was  too  precious  to 
give  them  any  attention.  Owing  to  the  severe  thunder  storms 
which  broke  during  every  afternoon,  traveling  had  to  be  suspended 


198  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

at  mid-day  ;  nevertheless,  on  the  thirteenth  day  from  Vacovia 
they. landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Somerset  river  where  it  empties 
into  Albert  lake.  From  this  point,  with  the  aid  of  their  glasses, 
the  explorers  could  plainly  see  the  outlet  of  the  main  Nile, 
some  thirty  miles  to  the  northwest  of  them,  from  whence  they 
could  trace  its  line  northward  to  the  Madi  country,  through 
which  they  had  passed  on  their  outward  journey.  Mrs.  Baker, 
though  still  too  weak  to  walk,  and  suffering  greatly  from  fever, 
proposed,  with  Spartan  heroism,  that  they  should  follow  the  lake 
to  the  head  of  the  Nile,  and  then  proceed  down  the  stream  in 
canoes,  so  as  to  prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  they  had  really  discov- 
ered the  principal  source  of  the  great  river.  But  the  guides 
declared  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  descend  the  rapids,  and 
that  they  would  be  beset  by  hostile  natives  who  would  dispute 
every  mile  of  their  journey,  and  murder  them  before  they  could 
reach  a  place  of  safety.  Similar  objections  were  urged  against 
Stanley  attempting  to  descend  the  Congo,  a  few  years  later,  but 
instead  of  heeding  them  he  relied  upon  his  own  judgment  and 
accomplished  the  feat,  as  related  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and 
proved  himself  to  be  the  greatest  and  most  determined  explorer 
that  ever  visited  Africa.  Had  Baker  followed  the  advice  and 
wishes  of  his  heroic  wife,  he  would  have  settled  the  Nile  question 
beyond  all  dispute,  and  reached  home  fully  a  year  sooner  than 
he  did.  But  some  allowance  must  be  made  for  his  sick  and 
dispirited  condition,  and  due  honor  be  accorded  him  for  the  per- 
severance and  daring  he  displayed  on  all  occasions.  The  only 
regret  is  that,  having  come  so  near  the  solution  of  the  great 
problem,  he^  did  not  fully  prove  it. 

ASCENDING    THE    SOMERSET  RIVER. 

HE  decided  that  it  was  not  advisable  to  attempt  a  return  by 
way  of  the  Nile,  but  that  their  proper  course  was  to  ascend  the 
Somerset  river  to  the  falls,  and  then  proceed  overland  to  Unyoro, 
returning  from  thence  by  the  same  route  they  had  come. 
Accordingly,  after  resting  two  days  and  procuring  food  from  the 
natives,  they  proceeded  up  the  river  in  canoes,  reaching  the  falls 
at  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles  from  the  lake.  Here  the  river 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  199 

plunges,  at  one  leap,  over  a  precipice  120  feet  deep  into  an  abyss 
below,  forming  one  of  the  grandest  waterfalls  on  the  known 
globe.  Baker  designated  these  as  the  Murchison  Falls,  in  honor 
of  the  President  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  England. 
The  river  below  the  falls  is  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  wide, 
clear  and  sluggish  ;  in  fact,  the  current  is  almost  imperceptible. 
The  banks,  at  places,  are  high  and  precipitous  ;  but  the  beach  is 
generally  flat  and  sandy,  and  crocodiles  are  so  numerous  that  a 
hundred  or  more  may  be  counted  without  moving  from  one 
position.  While  Baker  was  sketching  the  falls,  a  crocodile  came 
up  so  near  the  canoe  that  he  shot  it ;  the  noise  of  the  gun 
frightened  the  native  canoemen  so  badly  that  they  dropped  their 
paddles  and  allowed  the  boat  to  swing  around  onto  some  rushes, 
when  a  hippopotamus,  surprised  in  its  retreat,  rushed  under  the 
canoe  and  almost  capsized  it.  The  thought  of  being  dumped  out 
among  thousands  of  voracious  crocodiles  was  anything  but  agree- 
able, so  a  landing  was  quickly  made  to  await  the  riding  oxen  that 
had  been  sent  overland  and  were  expected  the  following  day. 

True  to  appointment,  the  oxen  came,  but  their  condition  was 
so  bad  from  fly  bites  that  they  were  scarcely  able  to  walk,  so  that 
riding  them  was  out  of  the  question.  The  overland  journey  now 
began  by  ascending  to  the  high  plateau  far  above  the  falls. 
Baker  and  his  wife  were  again  stricken  down  with  fever,  so  that 
she  had  to  be  carried,  while  he  was  barely  able  to  proceed  by  the 
aid  of  a  staff.  In  this  miserable  condition  they  continued  on  to 
the  next  village  through  a  drenching  rain.  On  reaching  the 
village,  they  were  placed  in  a  hut  so  badly  dilapidated  that  the 
clouds  overhead  were  visible  through  its  leaky  roof  ;  nevertheless, 
this  was  the  best  that  could  be  done,  and  here  they  lay  on  an 
oxhide,  spread  upon  the  soggy  ground,  all  night,  while  torrents 
of  water  poured  over  them  continually. 

At  this  place  the  guide  and  porters  previously  furnished  by 
Kamrasi  deserted  them,  the  intention  apparently  being  to  leave 
them  in  this  sickly  and  destitute  locality  until  they  should  either 
die  or  Baker  with  his  force  of  thirteen  men  would  agree  to  join 
the  king  in  his  war  on  Rionga.  During  their  journey  to  the  lake 


200  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

the  latter  had  been  reinforced  by  a  party  of  Turks  under  a  half- 
civilized  leader  named  Debono,  and  Kamrasi  found  it  impossible 
to  withstand  this  combined  force.  He  had  sent  repeatedly  to 
Baker,  asking  his  assistance,  which  the  latter  refused  ;  but  now 
it  seemed  that  he  was  determined  to  force  compliance  with  his 
wishes.  But  rather  than  die  the  death  of  a  dog,  or  be  forced  to 
accede  to  the  demands  of  the  brutal  Kamrasi,  Baker  determined, 
sick  and  feeble  as  he  and  his  wife  were,  to  move  on  and  trust  to 
providence. 

A  day's  journey  through  grass  eight  feet  hiffh  brought  the 
party  to  a  burned  and  deserted  village,  and  here  they  halted  in 
another  torrent  of  rain,  the  invalids  being  now  so  sick  that  they 
could  not  bear  even  the  motion  of  a  litter.  While  in  this  most 
hopeless  and  wretched  condition,  one  of  Kamrasi' s  head  men 
appeared  and  promised  food  and  porters  in  abundance  if  Baker 
and  his  men  would  join  the  king  in  the  war  against  Rionga  and 
Debono.  In  the  desperation  of  his  situation,  Baker  asked  to  be 
taken  to  Kamrasi,  leading  the  ambassador  to  believe  that  his 
terms  would  be  accepted.  A  few  hours  afterward  oxen  were 
produced  and  slaughtered,  whil  a  several  cows  were  furnished  to 
supply  the  party  with  milk.  A  feast  followed,  which  came  none 
too  early,  for  the  entire  party  were  almost  dead  from  starvation. 

The  travelers,  being  somewhat  refreshed  by  the  milk,  were 
carried  to  another  village  to  meet  the  king.  On  their  arrival 
they  found  a  hut  titted  up  with  all  the  comforts  possible  in  that 
country,  and  soon  thereafter  announcement  was  made  that  the 
king  was  present. 

MEETING   WITH   A   SPURIOUS   KING. 

IN  a  few  moments  the  king  entered  the  hut,  and  with  a  coarse 
laugh  said  :  "  Well,  here  you  are  at  last.  So  you  have  been  to 
the  M'wootan  N'zige  !  Well,  you  don't  look  much  the  better  for 
it.  Why,  I  should  not  have  known  you!  ha!  ha!  ha!" 
Baker  was  in  no  condition  to  enjoy  facetious  remarks,  and  up- 
braided the  royal  brute  for  so  basely  deceiving  him  and  suffering 
him  to  almost  die  of  starvation. 

"  Never  mind,"  he  replied,  "  it's  all  over  now  ;  you  really  are 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  201 

thin,  both  of  you  ;  it  was  your  own  fault ;  why  did  you  not  agree 
to  fight  Bionga?  You  should  have  been  supplied  with  fat  cows 
and  milk  and  butter,  had  you  behaved  well.  I  will  have  my  men 
ready  to  attack  Rionga  to-morrow  ;  the  Turks  have  ten  men  ; 
you  have  thirteen  ; — thirteen  and  ten  make  twenty-three  ; — you 
shall  be  carried  if  you  can't  walk,  and  we  will  give  Rionga  no 
chance — he  must  be  killed — only  kill  him,  and  MY  BROTHER  will 
give  you  half  of  his  kingdom."  He  continued,  "You  shall  have 
supplies  to-morrow ;  I  will  go  to  my  brother,  who  is  the  great 
M'Kamrna  Kamrasi,  and  he  will  send  you  all  you  require.  I  am 
a  little  man,  he  is  a  big  one  ;  I  have  nothing,  he  has  everything, 
and  he  longs  to  see  you  ;  you  must  go  to  him  directly  ;  he  lives 
close  by."  Baker  hardly  knew  whether  the  man  was  drunk  or 
sober — "  my  brother,  the  great  M'Kamma  Kamrasi !"  He  felt 
bewildered  with  astonishment,  and  asked,  "If  you  are  not  Kam- 
rasi, pray  who  are  you?"  "Who  am  I?"  he  replied;  "that's 
very  good;  who  am  I? — why,  I  am  M'Gambi,  the  brother  of 
Kamrasi, — I  am  the  younger  brother,  but  he  is  the  king." 

This  circumstance  illustrated  the  almost  incredible  deceit  of 
the  country.  Baker  had  never  actually  seen  the  king  up  to  this 
time,  though  he  had  given  so  many  presents  to  the  man  who  had 
personated  Kamrasi,  believing  that  by  so  doing  he  was  securing 
the  king's  friendship  and  aid.  He  hardly  knew  how  to  act,  but 
the  pale  face  of  his  very  sick  wife  admonished  prudence.  He 
therefore  requested  to  be  taken  to  Kamrasi  at  once ;  but  this 
was  not  according  to  royal  custom,  for  the  king  had  first  to  be 
apprised  of  the  intended  visit.  A  messenger  being  therefore 
dispatched  soon  returned  with  word  from  Kamrasi  to  have  the 
white  man  brought  to  his  palace  on  the  following  day. 

Baker's  clothes  had  been  worn  to  rags,  and  his  wan  and  hag- 
gard features  made  him  truly  an  ill-looking  object;  so  he  deter, 
mined  to  present  a  somewhat  improved  appearance  before  the 
king.  This  he  accomplished  by  putting  off  his  rags  and  substi- 
tuting a  full-dress  Highland  suit,  which  he  had  carried  with  him 
but  never  worn.  The  change  thus  effected  was  so  great  that  his 
own  men  hardly  recognized  him.  He  was  carried  in  the  litter  a 


202 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


half  hour's  journey  from  his  hut  and   deposited  at   the  palace 
door,  and  was  soon  thereafter  in   the   presence  of  Kamrasi. 


The  reception,  instead  of  being  cordial,  was  cold  and  formal. 
The  old  king  scrowled  on  his  guest,  but  gave  him  no  greeting,  nor 
did  a  siagie  word  pass  between  them  for  five  minutes  or  more. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  203 

M'Garabi,  who  had  played  king,  was  among  the  chiefs  who  sur- 
rounded Kararasi,  but  he  occupied  a  seat  on  the  ground,  thus 
proving  how  really  unimportant  he  was. 

At  length  the  king  asked  Baker  why  he  had  not  visited  him 
before.  "  Because  I  had  been  starved  in  this  country  and  was 
unable  to  walk,"  was  the  reply.  A  conversation  ensued,  but  of 
little  satisfaction.  Kamrasi  justified  the  personating  of  himself 
by  his  brother  upon  the  ground  that  he  was  not  certain  but  that 
Baker  was  an  ally  of  Debono.  He  then  began  to  beg,  as  usual, 
asking  for  the  Highland  suit,  watch,  compass  and  rifle,  all  of 
which  Baker  refused,  telling  him  that  he  was  certainly  not 
the  real  Kamrasi,  as  a  great  king  could  not  be  such  an  inveterate 
beggar. 

In  personal  appearance  Kamrasi  was  a  remarkably  fine-looking 
man,  tall  and  well  proportioned,  with  a  handsome  face  of  dark- 
brown  color,  but  his  expression  was  peculiarly  sinister.  He  was 
beautifully  clean,  and  instead  of  wearing  the  bark-cloth  common 
among  the  Unyoro  people,  he  was  dressed  with  an  elegant  mantle 
of  black  and  white  goat-skins,  as  soft  as  chamois.  His  officers 
sat  on  the  ground  at  some  distance  from  his  throne.  When  they 
approached  to  address  him  on  any  subject,  they  crawled  upon 
their  hands  and  knees  to  his  feet,  and  touched  the  ground  with 
their  foreheads. 

Kamrasi,  though  acting  very  coolly,  dismissed  Baker  with  an 
assurance  that  his  wants  would  be  attended  to,  and  on  the  same 
evening  sent  him  two  loads  of  flour,  a  goat  and  two  jars  of 
plantain  cider. 

Kisoona  was  the  name  of  the  town  where  they  were  now 
encamped,  and  since  the  boats  had  no  doubt  already  left  Gondo- 
koro,  Baker  gave  himself  no  further  concern  about  continuing 
his  journey.  The  fever  was  still  so  tenacious  in  its  hold  upon 
himself  and  wife  that  they  were  unable  to  walk,  but  fortunately 
they  had  an  abundance  of  milk,  which  being  allowed  to  curdle 
before  using,  gave  such  nourishment  that  both  rapidly  increased 
in  flesh,  though  but  little  in  strength.  Upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  Turks  under  Ibrahim,  who  had  remained  with  Kamrasi 


204 


THE   WORLD  8   WONDERS. 


THH  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  205 

during  the  journey  to  the  lake,  Baker  procured  a  quantity  of 
castor-oil  plants,  and  evsry  morning  he  had  a  portion  of  them 
boiled  in  a  large  pot,  and  then  steamed  himself  over  the  vessel. 
This  remedy  proved  to  be  so  beneficial  that  in  two  weeks  the  fever 
had  left  him.  The  plantain  cider  was  also  healthgiving,  because 
it  created  an  appetite,  and  was  an  excellent  stimulant.  The 
method  of  cider-making  was  simple.  The  fruit  was  buried  in  a 
deep  hole  and  covered  with  straw  and  earth  ;  at  the  expiration 
of  about  eight  days  the  green  plantains  thus  interred  had  become 
ripe ;  they  were  then  peeled  and  pulped  within  a  large  wooden 
trough  resembling  a  canoe  ;  this  was  filled  with  water,  and  the 
pulp  being  well  mashed  and  stirred,  was  left  to  ferment  for  two 
days,  after  which  it  was  fit  to  drink.  Throughout  Unyoro  plan- 
tains are  the  staple  article  of  food.  The  natives  invariably  eat 
the  unripe  fruit,  which,  when  boiled,  is  a  good  substitute  for 
potatoes.  Cider  is  made  from  ripe  fruit  only. 

A    TROUBLESOME    KING. 

ONE  day  after  Baker  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  able  to 
walkabout,  he  was  visited  by  the  king,  who  desired  his  assistance 
forthwith  against  Rionga.  Baker  tried  to  reason  with  him  against 
the  injustice  of  his  request,  reminding  him  that  he  was  an  explorer 
and  a  subject  of  the  queen,  and  had  no  right  to  make  offensive 
alliances  against  one  who  had  done  him  no  injury.  But  Kamrasi 
was  still  urgent,  nor  could  he  be  pacified  with  trinkets,  though  he 
did  not  refuse  any  that  were  offered,  nor  neglect  to  ask  for  every- 
thing he  saw.  Among  other  articles  which  Baker  gave  him  was 
an  ivory  comb,  which  he  at  once  applied  to  his  wool,  and  then 
handed  it  around  to  his  officers,  who  also  went  through  a  vigorous 
scratching  with  it.  To  this  present  was  added  a  quantity  of 
ammunition  and  a  looking  glass,  besides  several  beads.  But  the 
comb  pleased  him  most,  and  he  wanted  his  guest  to  take  back 
with  him  to  England  an  elephant's  tusk  and  have  it  made  into 
combs  for  his  majesty's  use.  The  medicine  chest  had  also  to  be 
inspected,  and  each  powder,  pill  and  phial  smelt  of.  He  begged 
for  some  of  the  medicine,  and  Baker  gave  him  several  doses  of 
tartar-emetic,  with  instructions  not  to  use  it  until  he  had  returned 


206  THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 

to  the  palace.     The  directions  were  faithfully  followed,  but  the 
kin"  took  so  lanje  a  dose  of  the  medicine  that  it  made  him  very 

O  O 

sick,  whereat  he  imagined  that  his  guest  had  used  "magic" 
against  him,  and  was  very  unfriendly  for  several  days.  From 
that  time  Baker's  supplies  were  cut  off,  and  his  subsistence  was 
confined  to  such  articles  as  he  could  buy  from  the  natives,  princi- 
pally butter  and  plantains,  which  provided  an  exceedingly  slim 
diet.  About  a  week  after  these  events  he  was  suddenly  aroused 
one  night  by  a  horrible  din  of  beating  drums,  blowing  horns  and 
screaming  natives.  Gathering  his  rifle  and  cartridge  belt,  he 
rushed  out  to  find  Kamrasi's  camp  in  a  state  of  consternation, 
produced  by  the  report  that  Debono,  with  a  party  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  was  marching  on  Kisoona  with  the  intention  of 
laying  waste  the  country  and  killing  Kamrasi.  The  old  king 
was  not  long  in  making  his  appearance,  dressed  simply  in  a 
kilt  of  blue  baize  which  Speke  had  given  him.  He  was  shaking 
with  fright  and  implored  aid.  Baker  commended  his  dress,  and 
said  it  was  well  adapted  to  fighting.  "  Fighting!"  the  king 
exclaimed,  with  the  horror  of  'Bob  Acres,'  "I  am  not  going 
to  fight !  I  have  dressed  lightly  to  be  able  to  run  quickly. 
I  mean  to  run  away!  Who  can  fight  against  guns?  Those 
people  have  one  hundred  and  fifty  guns  ;  you  must  run  with 
me ;  we  can  do  nothing  against  them  ;  you  have  only  thirteen 
men ;  Ibrahim  has  only  ten  ;  what  can  twenty-three  do  against 
a  hundred  and  fifty?  Pack  up  your  things  and  run  ;  we  must 
be  off  into  the  high  grass  and  hide,  at  once ;  the  enemy  is 
expected  every  moment !"  Baker  frankly  told  Kamrasi  that  his 
cowardice  ill  became  a  king,  and  that  such  a  man  was  not  a  fit 
ruler  for  any  people  ;  but  this  failed  to  reassure  him.  To  prevent 
an  attack,  however,  Baker  sent  eight  of  his  men  with  Turkish 
guides  to  confer  with  Debono.  On  the  next  evening  they  returned 
with  one  of  Debono' s  headmen,  who  stated  that  the  Turks  had 
no  intention  of  disturbing  Baker's  party  ;  that  indeed  the  report 
had  reached  them  that  both  he  and  his  wife  had  died  several 
weeks  before,  from  starvation,  for  which  Kamrasi  was  respon- 
ssiUe,  Baker  told  the  officer  that  Debono  must  at  once  recross 


TH»  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  207 

the  Nile  and  quit  Kamrasi's  country,  as  the  right  of  trading 
therein  had  been  secured  to  Ibrahim,  and  if  the  request  was  not 
complied  with  by  the  following  day  he  would  report  the  affair  to 
the  Turkish  authorities  and  have  Debono  and  his  chief  hanged. 
Baker  then  raised  the  British  flag,  and  informed  the  Turks  that 
he  claimed  the  country  by  right  of  discovery,  and  ordered  them 
to  withdraw  at  once,  which  they  did. 

The  result  of  the  stratagem  so  pleased  Kamrasi  that  he  sent 
a  large  supply  of  flour,  goats,  cows  and  cider,  accompanying 
them  with  his  thanks  and  offering  a  portion  of  his  kingdom  to 
his  white  friend. 

DEFEAT    OF   RIONGA. 

SHORTLY  after  the  Turks  had  departed,  news  was  received  that 
Debono  had  quarreled  with  Bionga  and  a  great  battle  had  ensued, 
in  which  the  Turks  had  gained  a  complete  victory,  and  destroyed 
the  power  of  the  native  chief.  Kamrasi  could  scarcely  contain 
his  joy  at  this  piece  of  good  news,  while  the  entire  village  went 
into  a  delirium  of  celebration,  and  became  royally  drunk  on  the 
beer  which  the  king  had  given  for  all  to  drink.  Kamrasi  visited 
Baker  to  acquaint  him  of  his  good  fortune,  but  while  so  doing 
turned  the  subject  suddenly  by  asking  again  for  the  rifle  he  had 
so  long  coveted.  Baker  was  much  irritated,  and  told  him  that 
he  must  never  ask  again  for  the  gun,  for  under  no  circumstances 
would  he  part  with  it. 

A   BARBAROUS    EXECUTION. 

JUST  at  this  moment  an  uproar  was  heard  outside,  and  loud 
screams  and  heavy  blows.  A  man  was  dragged  past  the  entrance 
of  the  court-yard  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  was  immediately 
cudgeled  to  death  by  a  crowd  of  natives.  This  operation  con- 
tinued for  some  minutes,  until  his  bones  had  been  thoroughly 
broken  by  the  repeated  blows  of  clubs.  The  body  was  dragged 
to  a  grove  of  plantains,  and  was  left  there  for  the  vultures,  who 
in  a  fe\v  minutes  congregated  around  it.  It  appeared  that  the 
offense  thus  summarily  punished  was  the  simple  act  of  convers- 
ing with  some  of  Rionga's  men,  who  had  come  with  Debono's 
messengers  to  see  Baker.  A  conversation  with  one  of  the  enemy 


208  THE  WORLD'S  WONDEH». 

was  considered  high  treason,  and  was  punished  with  immediate 
death.  In  such  cases,  where  either  Kamrasi  or  his  brother 
determined  upon  the  sudden  execution  of  a  criminal,  the  signal 
was  given  by  touching  the  condemned  with  the  point  of  a  lance, 
whereupon  the  person  who  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  incur 
the  king's  displeasure  was  beaten  to  death  upon  the  spot.  Some- 
times the  condemned  was  touched  by  a  stick  instead  of  a  lance- 
point  ;  this  was  a  signal  that  he  should  be  killed  by  the  lance, 
and  the  sentence  was  carried  out  by  thrusting  him  through  the 
body  with  numerous  spears — thus  the  instrument  used  to  slay 
the  criminal  was  always  contrary  to  the  sign. 

KAMRASI    IN   A    COWARDLY   RETREAT. 

THE  victory  over  Kionga  bore  fruit  which  Kamrasi  was  not 
destined  to  partake  of,  for,  while  he  was  contending  over  the 
spoils,  news  came  that  Mtesa,  of  Uganda,  hearing  that  Kamrasi 
had  intercepted  Baker  and  held  him  a  prisoner  in  order  to  pre- 
vent him  from  visiting  the  former  with  presents,  was  coming  to 
kill  the  perfidious  king  and  take  Baker  to  Uganda.  This  report, 
which  was  speedily  confirmed,  threw  the  cowardly  Kamrasi  into 
a  panic  again,  and  although  Baker  counseled  a  stand  and  offered 
to  help  him  repel  the  invaders,  he  was  bent  on  beating  a  retreat 
to  his  fastness  on  the  islands  of  the  river ;  nor  would  anything 
stay  his  purpose.  The  grass  huts  were  accordingly  set  on  fire 
and  the  retreat  began.  Baker  intended  to  proceed  to  Atada, 
Kamrasi  having  promised  to  send  porters  to  carry  his  things, 
but  when  morning  came  the  porters  failed  to  report,  and  he  at 
once  saw  that  the  king's  promise  was  merely  a  ruse  to  keep  him 
at  the  village  and  be  first  attacked  by  Mtesa.  So  incensed  was 
he  at  such  perfidy,  that  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Kamrasi,  telling 
him  if  the  porters  were  not  sent  at  once  he  would  join  Mtesa  and 
attack  him  on  the  islands.  This  message  frightened  the  king 
into  a  compliance. 

The  journey  toward  Atada  was  by  a  narrow  pathway  leading 
through  very  high  grass.  Mrs.  Baker  had  yet  to  be  carried  on  a 
litter,  and  the  progress  was  very  slow.  After  a  short  inarch  it 
was  discovered  that  Richarn,  Baker's  most  faithful  and  service- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEES.  209 

able  man,  was  missing,  and  after  a  short  search  in  a  village  near 
by,  the  ramrod  of  his  gun  was  found  broken  and  covered  with 
blood,  which  indicated  that  he  had  been  murdered.  Two  days 
were  spent  searching  for  him,  and  during  this  delay  the  porters 
which  Kamrasi  had  provided  deserted.  To  make  matters  still 
worse,  the  war  drums  of  Mtesa  were  heard  beating  as  his  army 
advanced,  and  it  therefore  became  necessary  to  abandon  the  lug- 
gage and  branch  off  toward  Foweera,  where  a  part  of  Ibrahim's 
followers  were  encamped,  as  it  was  desirable  to  form  a  junction 
with  them.  After  many  tedious  delays  and  incidents  the  party 
reached  Foweera,  where  they  were  astonished  to  find  Richarn. 
His  disappearance  was  caused  by  a  fight  with  some  villagers, 
during  which  he  killed  the  chief,  and  in  order  to  escape  their 
vengeance  he  had  taken  to  the  tall  grass,  lost  his  way,  but  finally 
reached  his  party  again  almost  famished. 

Ibrahim  thought  proper  now  to  join  Kamrasi  against  the  enemy, 
and  so  well  did  he  direct  his  forces  that  Mtesa  was  speedily 
driven  out  of  the  country  and  Kamrasi  regained  all  that  he  had 
lost.  For  this  service  Ibrahim  received  an  immense  quantity  of 
ivory,  so  that  both  parties  were  intensely  pleased.  In  the  fight 
many  of  Mtesa' s  men  were  captured,  all  of  whom  were,  led  before 
the  king  and  butchered  in  his  presence  without  trial. 

While  these  brutal  operations  were  going  on,  Baker  decided  to 
make  an  effort  to  distill  whisky  from  sweet  potatoes,  believing 
that  the  spirit  would  benefit  himself  and  wife  in  their  weak  con- 
dition. His  still  was  an  original  one,  made  of  pots  and  reeds, 
but  it  served  all  purposes,  and  a  really  excellent  article  of  spirits 
was  manufactured.  Some  of  the  liquor  was  given  to  Kamrasi, 
who  promptly  drank  enough  to  make  an  elephant  drunk,  and 
when  he  had  recovered  from  the  comatose  state  into  which  it 
threw  him,  he  vowed  that  every  hill  in  his  kingdom  should  be 
planted  with  potatoes  and  that  his  subjects  should  devote  them- 
selves to  manufacturing  whisky,  and  one  of  Ibrahim's  Turks 
was  detailed  to  establish  and  undertake  the  direction  of  "King 
Kamrasi's  Central  African  Unyoro  Potato- Whisky  Company, 
unlimited." 
14 


210  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


CHAPTER  XH. 

ADIEU   TO   EAMRASI. 

IN  the  middle  of  November,  at  the  end  of  the  rainy  season, 
after  so  many  months  of  suffering,  Baker  left  Unyoro  for  Shooa, 
accompanied  by  Ibrahim,  whose  collection  of  ivory  was  so  great 
that  it  required  the  services  of  700  porters  to  carry  it.  Kamrasi 
came  out  to  bid  them  adieu,  and — to  beg  Baker  once  more  for 
the  little  rifle,  as  he  said  the  gun  given  him  by  Speke  had 
bursted,  which  was  true,  for  he  had  driven  a  ball  into  the  muzzle 
and  then  fired  it  with  disastrous  results.  But  Baker  would  not 
yield  the  coveted  weapon.  The  journey  was  through  a  dry 
country,  and  the  difficulties  of  traveling  were  light  in  comparison 
to  what  they  had  been. 

"On  the  fifth  day's  march  from  the  Victoria  Nile,"  says 
Baker,  "we  arrived  at  Shooa;  the  change  was  delightful  after 
the  wet  and  dense  vegetation  of  Unyoro :  the  country  was  dry, 
and  the  grass  low  and  of  fine  quality.  We  took  possession  of 
our  camp,  that  had  already  been  prepared  for  us  in  a  large  court- 
yard well  cemented  with  cow- dung  and  clay,  and  fenced  with  a 
strong  row  of  palisades.  A  large  tree  grew  in  the  centre.  Several 
huts  were  erected  for  interpreters  and  servants,  and  a  tolerably 
commodious  hut,  the  roof  overgrown  with  pumpkins,  was 
arranged  for  our  mansion.  That  evening  the  native  women 
crowded  to  our  camp  to  welcome  my  wife  home,  and  to  dance  in 
honor  of  our  return  ;  for  which  exhibition  they  expected  a  present 
of  a  cow.  They  danced  in  a  circle,  holding  each  other's  hands, 
while  three  stood  just  outside  the  circle  and  directed  the  move- 
ments of  the  dancers.  They  were  all  quite  naked  except  the 
little  cloth  in  front  and  the  tail-piece  behind." 

At  Shooa  many  of  Ibrahim's  porters  deserted,  which  left  him 
in  a  sad  plight.  To  compensate  his  loss,  he  sent  300  of  his  men 
upon  a  marauding  expedition  against  a  neighboring  village  that 
was  under  the  rule  of  a  brave  chief  named  Werdalla,  This  man 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


211 


had  been  on  several  such  expeditions  himself,  and  possessed  five 
stands  of  fire-arms,  therefore,  when  the  Turks  attacked  him,  he 
hid  his  men  behind  rocks  and  opened  fire,  killing  five  of  the 
assailants  with  as  many  shots.  The  Turks  retreated,  but  on  the 
way  back  captured  a  beautiful  young  girl  whom  they  put  in 
chains,  intending  to  make  her  a  slave.  On  the  next  day  her 


THE   DANCE  IN   HONOR  OF  THE  RETURN. 


father  came  into  camp  to  ransom  his  child,  as  is  customary 
among  these  people.  As  soon  as  he  appeared,  his  daughter 
rushed  to  him,  and  throwing  her  arms  around  his  neck  in  the 
most  affectionate  manner,  cried,  "Father?"  as  lovingly  and 
earnestly  as  any  civilized  child  could  have  done.  But  the  brutal 
Turks  tore  him  from  her  arms,  tied  him  to  a  tree  and  inhumanly 
buthered  him  before  her  eyes. 


212  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

MAN'S  INHUMANITY. 

ANOTHER  case  of  almost  equal  horror  and  brutality  occurred 
on  the  following  day.  A  woman  and  her  little  boy,  not  more 
than  two  years  of  age,  had  been  captured  in  a  battle  with  the 
natives  and  brought  along  as  slaves  by  the  Turks.  This  woman 
tried  five  times  to  escape  with  her  child,  but  was  each  time 
apprehended,  and  being,  at  length,  regarded  as  incorrigible,  she 
was  given  144  stripes  with  the  coorbatch  (hippopotamus  whip), 
and  then  sold  separately  to  another  Turkish  party  of  traders. 
Mrs.  Baker's  pity  was  excited  and  she  took  the  little  motherless 
boy  under  her  care  and  gave  him  the  name  of  Abbai,  and  by 
kind  treatment  soon  reconciled  him  to  his  new  condition.  There 
were  two  little  girls  also  in  the  camp  whose  history  was  exceed- 
ingly pathetic.  They  were  three  and  eight  years  of  age  respect- 
ively, and  had  fallen  into  the  possession  of  Ibrahim  under  the 
following  circumstances  :  They  were  daughters  of  Owine,  one  of 
the  great  chiefs  who  were  allied  with  Rionga  against  Kamrasi. 
After  the  defeat  of  the  former,  Owine  and  many  of  his  people 
quitted  the  country,  and,  forming  an  alliance  with  the  Turk 
Mohamed,  they  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  camp  at 
Faloro,  where  they  built  a  village.  For  a  time  they  were  on  the 
best  of  terms,  but  some  cattle  of  the  Turks  being  missing,  suspi- 
cion fell  upon  the  new  settlers.  Mohamed' s  men  desired  that 
they  might  be  expelled,  but  in  a  moment  of  drunken  frenzy  he 
ordered  them  to  be  massacred.  His  men,  eager  for  murder  and 
plunder,  immediately  started  upon  their  bloody  errand,  and 
surrounding  the  unsuspecting  colony,  they  fired  the  huts  and 
killed  every  man,  including  chief  Owine;  capturing  the  women 
and  children  as  slaves.  Ibrahim  had  received  the  mother  and 
two  girls  as  presents  from  Mohamed.  Of  these  little  waifs  of 
adversity  Baker  very  feelingly  writes  : 

"  We  had  now  six  little  dependents,  none  of  whom  could  ever 
belong  to  us,  as  they  were  all  slaves,  but  who  were  well  looked 
after  by  my  wife  ;  fed,  amused,  and  kept  clean.  The  boy  Abbai 
was  the  greatest  favorite,  as,  having  neither  father  nor  mother, 
he  claimed  the  greatest  care  ;  he  was  well  washed  every  morning 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  213 

and  then  to  his  great  delight  smeared  all  over  from  head  to  toes 
with  red  ochre  and  grease,  with  a  cock's  feather  stuck  in  his 
woolly  pate.  He  was  then  a  most  charming  pet  savage,  and  his 
toilette  completed,  he  invariably  sat  next  to  his  mistress,  drinking 
a  gourd-shell  of  hot  milk,  while  I  smoked  my  early  morning  pipe 
beneath  the  tree.  I  made  bows  and  arrows  for  my  boys,  and 
taught  them  to  shoot  at  a  mark,  a  large  pumpkin  being  carved 
into  a  man's  head  to  excite  their  aim.  Thus  the  days  were 
passed  until  the  evening  ;  at  that  time  a  large  fire  was  lighted  to 
create  a  blaze,  drums  were  collected,  and  after  dinner  a  grand 
dance  was  kept  up  by  the  children,  until  the  young  Abbai  ended 
regularly  by  creeping  under  my  wife's  chair,  and  falling  sound 
asleep :  from  this  protected  spot  he  was  carried  to  his  mat, 
wrapped  up  in  a  piece  of  old  flannel  (the  best  cloth  we  had),  in 
which  he  slept  till  morning.  Poor  little  Abbai  !  I  often  wonder 
what  will  be  his  fate,  and  whether  in  his  dreams  he  recalls  the 
few  months  of  happiness  that  brightened  his  earliest  days  of 
slavery." 

ON   THE  HOMEWARD  MARCH. A   SAD  SCENE. 

THE  want  of  porters  still  detained  Ibrahim,  and  seeing  little 
hope  of  procuring  men  for  that  service,  in  February  Baker  de- 
cided to  start  for  Gondokoro  with  a  party  of  Mohammed's  men, 
who  had  to  go  there  for  new  supplies.  As  the  oxen  were  saddled 
to  start,  crowds  of  people  came  to  say  "goodbye."  There  were 
ties,  even  in  this  savage  country,  which  were  painful  to  sever, 
and  which  caused  sincere  regets  to  both  Baker  and  his  wife  when 
they  saw  their  little  flock  of  slave  children  crying  at  the  separa- 
tion. He  says,  "In  this  moral  desert,  where  all  humanized 
feelings  were  withered  and  parched  like  the  sands  of  the  Soudan, 
the  guilelessness  of  the  children  had  been  welcomed  like  springs 
of  water,  as  the  only  refreshing  feature  in  a  land  of  sin  and 
darkness.  *  Where  are  you  going?'  cried  poor  little  Abbai  in  the 
broken  Arabic  that  we  had  taught  him.  «Take  me  with  you, 
Sitty  ! '  (lady,)  and  he  followed  us  down  the  path  as  we  regret- 
fully left  our  proteges,  with  his  fists  tucked  into  his  eyes, 
weeping  from  his  heart,  although  for  his  own  mother  he  had  not 


214  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

shed  a  tear.  We  could  not  take  him  with  us  ; — he  belonged  to 
Ibrahim  ;  and  had  I  purchased  the  child  to  rescue  him  from  his 
hard  lot  and  to  rear  him  as  a  civilized  being,  I  might  have  been 
charged  with  slave  dealing.  With  heavy  hearts  we  saw  him 
taken  up  in  the  arms  of  a  woman  and  carried  back  to  camp,  to 
prevent  him  from  following  our  party,  that  had  now  started." 

ATTACKED  BY  BARI  SAVAGES. 

THE  first  day's  journey  toward  Gondokoro  was  uneventful,  but 
on  the  next  the  party  was  attacked  by  the  implacable  Bari  people, 
who  hung  in  great  crowds  on  the  flank  and  kept  discharging  their 
arrows.  The  Turks  returned  the  fire  with  their  guns,  but  only 
one  casualty  resulted.  This,  however,  was  only  the  beginning, 
for  day  by  day  the  Baris  kept  up  their  annoyance,  and  at  night 
continually  threatened  an  attack.  Tn  fact,  they  did  make  one 
after  dark,  one  night,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  one  of  their 
number.  They  succeeded  in  shooting  several  barbed  and  poisoned 
arrows  into  the  camp,  but  fortunately  none  of  them  did  any  injury. 

As  the  cavalcade,  at  length,  came  in  sight  of  Gondokoro,  there 
were  loud  huzzas  and  great  rejoicings,  especially  expressed  by 
Baker  and  his  wife,  for  the  journey  had  been  so  long  and  painful 
that  home  now  seemed  "just  over  the  hill."  The  English  flag 
was  raised  on  a  tall  bamboo  pole,  and  the  march  into  Gondokoro 
was  made  like  a  victorious  army  returning  from  a  bloody  field. 
The  Turks  came  out  and  saluted  them  with  a  lively  popping  of 
guns,  which  so  frightened  Mohamed's  riding  ox  that  it  ran 
away  and  threw  him  over  its  head,  greatly  demoralizing  the 
pompous  Turk. 

NO   BOATS   OR   LETTERS. 

BAKER'S  first  inquiries  were  for  letters  from  home,  and  a  boat 
to  descend  the  Nile  with.  Before  leaving  Khartoum  on  his  out- 

O 

ward  journey,  he  had  left  money  with  a  merchant  there  to  pay 
for  sending  a  boat  to  Gondokoro  to  await  his  return  ;  but  he  was 
now  astonished  and  chagrined  to  find  that  neither  boat  nor  letters 
were  awaiting  him.  It  was  supposed  that  he  and  his  wife  were 
long  since  dead,  as  no  tidings  had  been  received  from  them  since 
their  departure  from  Obbo,  three  years  before.  Baker  writes  : 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  215 

"At  this  cold  and  barren  reply  I  felt  almost  choked.  We  had 
looked  forward  to  arriving  at  Gondokoro  as  to  a  home  ;  we  had 
expected  that  a  boat  would  have  been  sent  on  the  chance  of  find- 
ing us,  but  there  was  literally  nothing  to  receive  us,  and  we  were 
helpless  to  return.  We  had  worked  for  years  in  misery,  such  as 
I  have  but  faintly  described,  to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  this 
hitherto  unconquerable  exploration ;  we  had  succeeded — and 
what  was  the  result?  Not  even  a  letter  from  home  to  welcome 
us  if  alive  I  As  I  sat  beneath  a  tree  and  looked  down  upon  the 
glorious  Nile  that  flowed  a  few  yards  beneath  my  feet,  I  pondered 
upon  the  value  of  my  toil.  I  had  traced  the  river  to  its  great 
Albert  source,  and  as  the  mighty  stream  glided  before  me,  the 
mystery  that  had  ever  shrouded  its  origin  was  dissolved.  I  no 
longer  looked  upon  its  waters  with  a  feeling  approaching  to  awe, 
for  I  knew  its  home  and  had  visited  its  cradle.  Had  I  overrated 
the  importance  of  the  discovery?  and  had  I  wasted  some  of  the 
best  years  of  my  life  to  obtain  a  shadow?  I  recalled  to  recollec- 
tion the  practical  question  of  Commoro,  the  chief  of  Latooka — 
*  Suppose  you  get  to  the  great  lake,  what  will  you  do  with  it? 
What  will  be  the  good  of  it?  If  you  find  that  the  large  river 
does  flow  from  it,  what  then?'  " 

VISITED    BY   THE   PLAGUE. 

THE  plague  had  broken  out  among  the  natives  at  Gondokoro, 
and  as  they  fell  victims  they  were  dragged  to  the  edge  of  the 
cliff  and  thrown  into  the  river,  and  the  stench  which  arose  from 
the  festering  bodies  was  absolutely  stifling.  Baker  therefore 
determined  to  depart  from  this  frightful  place  at  all  hazards. 

It  chanced  that  there  was  an  open  boat  lying  at  the  wharf, 
that  had  come  up  to  take  a  cargo  of  ivory  to  Khartoum,  but  as 
none  was  offering,  he  chartered  the  vessel  for  $200.  It  was  a 
desperate  alternative,  because  several  men  had  died  of  the  plague 
on  the  boat  during  her  trip  up,  so  that  a  visitation  of  the  dreadful 
disease  promised  to  terminate  the  difficulties  of  the  entire  journey. 
But  he  ordered  the  boat  to  be  thoroughly  scrubbed  with  boiling 
water  and  sand,  after  which  it  was  fumigated  by  burning  several 
pounds  of  tobacco  in  the  cabin. 


216  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

THE  VOYAGE   DOWN  THE  RIVER. 

ON  the  third  day  out  from  Gondokoro  a  herd  of  antelope  was 
discovered  foraging  in  the  vicinity  of  some  ant-hills  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  river.  As  meat  had  become  scarce,  Baker  ordered 
the  boat  stopped,  and,  with  his  servant  carrying  a  spare  gun,  he 
stalked  the  game  until  a  fair  shot  was  obtained  at  a  large  buck, 
which  fell  dead  at  the  first  fire.  The  herd  seemed  dazed,  and 
did  not  break  away  until  another  one  was  killed.  They  then  ran 
toward  a  covert,  and  in  their  flight  he  fired  again,  and  by  acci- 
dent shot  a  doe  in  the  neck  at  a  distance  of  six  hundred  yards. 
As  the  herd  gained  the  covert  some  native  hunters,  who  were 
there  concealed,  charged  them  with  spears,  and  drove  them 
back  again  toward  Baker,  who  succeeded  in  killing  two  more. 
This  was  five  antelopes  in  one  day,  and  they  were  now  well  sup- 
plied with  meat  for  the  trip. 

THE   PLAGUE     APPEARS. 

ON  the  following  day  one  of  Baker's  men  was  seized  with 
pains  in  the  back  and  bleeding  of  the  nose,  and  similar  symp- 
toms speedily  developed  in  six  others — the  plague  had  broken  out. 
In  two  days  more  the  vessel  became  a  hospital,  and  death  fol- 
lowed death  with  fearful  rapidity.  Poor  little  Saat,  whom  Mrs. 
Baker  had  adopted  at  Khartoum,  and  who  had  been  so  faithful 
throughout  the  three  years'  journeyings  in  Central  Africa,  fell 
also  before  the  dreadful  disease.  Helplessly  he  lay  upon  a  mat 
before  his  loved  mistress,  who  watched  with  tenderest  care  and 
deep  anxiety,  moistening  his  parched  lips  and  trying  to  cool  his 
burning  head,  while  the  little  fellow  only  muttered  in  a  delirium 
from  which  he  could  not  be  roused.  But  at  last  she  saw  that  he 
slept,  and  hoping  that  he  would  awaken  refreshed  and  better,  she 
kept  everything  quiet,  that  undisturbed  sleep  might  bring  him 
back  to  life.  Old  Karka,  the  good-natured  slave  woman,  stole 
softly  to  the  poor  boy,  stretched  his  legs  into  a  straight  position, 
and  laid  his  arms  close  by  his  side.  She  then  covered  his  face 
with  a  cloth.  "Does  he  still  sleep  well?"  asked  Mrs.  Baker; 
but  the  old  slave  ( answered  only  with  her  tears,  for  little  Saat  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  217 

dead.  The  faithful  child  had  been  taken  from  Paganism  and 
died  in  Christianity  ;  he  was  laid  gently  away  in  a  grave  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  with  a  rude  cross  for  a  grave-stone. 

ARRIVAL   AT   KHARTOUM. 

AFTER  many  delayj  and  difficulties,  they  reached  Khartoum  on 
the  5th  of  May,  1865.  Here  they  found  letters  from  friends  in 
England,  but  the  consolation  these  brought  was  marred  by  the 
report,  already  authenticated,  that  Speke  was  no  longer  among 
the  living,  having  accidentally  shot  himself  while  hunting. 
Besides  this  deplorable  news,  there  were  obstacles  to  prevent 
Baker's  immediate  departure  for  England.  An  extraordinary 
drought  of  two  years  had  created  a  famine  throughout  the  land, 
attended  by  a  disease  among  the  camels  and  cattle,  which  had 
caused  a  commercial  stagnation,  as  no  goods  could  be  transported 
from  Khartoum.  The  plague,  malignant  typhus,  had  run  riot  in 
the  town,  and  reduced  the  black  troops  from  4,000  to  less  than 
400.  Yet  in  this  place,  reeking  with  filth,  and  death  running 
riot  in  the  streets,  they  were  compelled  to  wait  until  there  was  a 
rise  in  the  Nile  that  would  enable  boats  to  pass  the  cataracts 
between  Khartoum  and  Berber.  They  were  detained  here  fot 
two  months,  subjected  to  intense  heat  and  dust-storms.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  plagues  of  Egypt  had  broken  loose  again.  Respecting 
the  dust-storms,  Baker  writes:  "On  the  26th  of  June  we  had 
the  most  extraordinary  dust-storm  that  had  ever  been  seen  by  the 
inhabitants.  I  was  sitting  in  the  court-yard  of  my  agent's  house 
at  about  4.30  p.  M.  :  there  was  no  wind,  and  the  sun  was  as  bright 
as  usual  in  this  cloudless  sky,  when  suddenly  a  gloom  was  cast 
over  all — a  dull  yellow  glare  pervaded  the  atmosphere.  Knowing 
that  this  effect  portended  a  dust-storm,  and  that  the  present  calm 
would  be  followed  by  a  hurricane  of  wind,  I  rose  to  go  home, 
intending  to  secure  the  shutters.  Hardly  had  I  risen,  when  I 
saw  approaching,  from  the  S.  W.,  apparently  a  solid  range  of 
immense  brown  mountains,  high  in  air.  So  rapid  was  the  passage 
of  this  extraordinary  phenomenon,  that  in  a  few  minutes  we  were 
in  actual  pitchy  darkness.  At  first  there  was  no  wind,  and  the 
peculiar  calm  gave  an  oppressive  character  to  the  event.  We 


218  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

were  in  'a  darkness  that  might  be  felt.'  Suddenly  the  wind 
arrived,  but  not  with  the  violence  that  I  had  expected.  There 
were  two  persons  with  me,  Michael  Latfalla,  my  agent,  and  Mon- 
sieur Lombrosio.  So  intense  was  the  darkness  that  we  tried  to 
distinguish  our  hands  placed  close  before  our  eyes  ;  not  even  an 
outline  could  be  seen.  This  lasted  for  upwards  of  twenty  min- 
utes ;  it  then  rapidly  passed  away,  and  the  sun  shone  as  before  ; 
but  we  had  felt  the  darkness  that  Moses  had  inflicted  upon  the 
Egyptians." 

HOME    AGAIN. 

ON  June  30th  they  departed  from  Khartoum ,  and  proceeded  by 
boat  to  Berber,  from  which  point  they  traveled  overland  on 
camels  to  Souakim,  a  considerable  town,  the  houses  of  which 
are  all  built  of  coral.  After  two  weeks'  delay  here,  passage  was 
secured  on  an  Egyptian  steam  transport  for  Suez.  The  journey 
was  now  about  ended,  for  in  a  few  days  they  reached  Cairo, 
where  Baker  paid  off  his  attendants,  one  of  whom,  Richarn,  he 
saw  married  to  a  six-foot  Dinga  girl,  who  had  accompanied  him 
from  Central  Africa.  Here  he  received  notice  that  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  had  awarded  him  the  Victoria  gold  medal, 
at  a  time,  too,  when  it  was  not  known  whether  he  was  living  or 
dead. 

NET  RESULTS    OF    BAKER* S   EXPEDITION. 

BAKER  is  entitled  to  very  great  credit  for  the  indomitable  per. 
severance  with  which  he  overcame  all  obstacles  and  forced  his 
way  through  Africa.  He  is  also  entitled  to  much  consideration 
because  his  expedition  was  equipped  at  his  own  expense,  and 
therefore  he  did  not  have  the  nation  at  his  back,  as  did  Speke  ; 
but  did  he  discover  the  source  of  the  Nile?  By  his  own  record 
he  saw  but  an  exceedingly  small  portion  of  the  Albert  N'yanza. 
He  coasted  it  for  only  one  hundred  miles,  and  did  not  even  visit 
the  point  where  the  lake  takes  its  outlet  into  the  Nile.  Speke  is 
chargeable  with  the  same  omission,  for  when  he  came  in  sight  of 
the  Victoria  N'yanza,  instead  of  coasting  it  he  contented  himself 
with  a  view  of  its  waters,  and  did  not  even  follow  the  stream 
which  he  assumed  was  the  Nile.  It  is  now  well  known  that 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  219 

Central  Africa  is  drained  by  numerous  rivers,  many  of  which  are 
very  eccentric  in  their  sudden  disappearance.  For  this  reason  it 
was  the  duty  of  Baker — if  insurmountable  obstacles  did  not 
preclude,  and  he  does  not  mention  any — to  proceed  to  the  river 
where  it  flows  from  the  lake,  as  he  claims  that  he  saw  it  at  a 
distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  then  follow  the  stream  on  his  return 
journey,  instead  of  leaving  it,  as  he  did.  Of  course  it  is  impos- 
sible to  judge  correctly  of  the  reasons  which  he  had  for  taking 
certain  courses  on  his  return  journey,  but  since  he  does  not  him- 
self give  us  these  very  natural  explanations,  it  must  remain  a 
source  of  wonder  why  he  did  not  return  from  the  Albert  N'yanza 
by  way  of  the  Nile,  as  his  spirited  wife  implored  him  to  do.  He 
had  canoes,  and  though  there  were  many  obstructions  in  the 
river,  no  doubt  these  light  boats  might  have  been  drawn  over 
them,  as  they  were  in  several  places  below  Gondokoro.  By 
adopting  such  a  plan  the  source  of  the  Nile  would  have  been 
indisputable.  The  question  which  still  continues  undecided  is 
this  :  "Did  Baker  see  the  Nile,  as  it  takes  its  source  from  Albert 
lake,  or  was  it  the  embouchure  or  outlet  of  some  other  stream, 
which  gave  him  so  much  delight  as  his  vision  rested  upon  it  from 
Magungo's  heights?" 


220  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ISMAILIA. 

SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER'S  SECOND  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XTII. 

EFFORTS  TO  SUPPRESS  THE  SLAVE  TRADE. 

SIR  SAMUEL  BAKER  published  the  results  of  his  explorations  in 
Central  Africa  in  a  work  entitled  "  The  Albert  N'Yanza." 
The  book  had  a  large  sale  and  gave  him  an  importance— which  he 
no  doubt  well  deserved — greater  than  that  of  any  other  African 
explorer  at  that  time.  He  had  paid  particular  attention  to  the 
slave  trade,  which  was  productive  of  ruin  and  demoralization 
among  the  native  tribes,  and  so  faithfully  and  graphically  did  he 
describe  the  horrors  attending  the  nefarious  traffic,  that  England 
was  aroused  and  threatened  to  take  such  severe  measures  against 
those  who  were  engaged  in  it,  that  the  Khedive  of  Egypt  felt 
called  upon  to  act,  as  the  slave-hunters  were  nearly  all  his 
subjects.  It  is  unfair,  perhaps,  to  doubt  the  motives  of  the 
Khedive,  but  certain  it  is  that  Khartoum  was  long  known  to  be  a 
slave  station,  and  that  thousands  of  these  poor  creatures  were 
sent  from  there  to  Cairo  and  Alexandria  with  the  full  knowledge 
of  the  Egyptian  authorities,  who  never  by  word  or  deed 
attempted  even  to  mitigate  the  curse.  It  was  estimated  that  not 
less  than  50,000  'men,  women  and  children  were  kidnaped  from 
the  tribes  of  Central  Africa  annually,  and  brought  captive  into 
Khartoum  ;  here  they  were  confined  in  limited  quarters  reeking 
with  pestilence  and  filth,  so  that  nearly  one-half  of  the  whole 
number  died,  while  the  other  half  was  being  disposed  of  as 
slaves. 

Baker's  descriptions  fired  the  English  heart  against  these 
revolting  cruelties,  and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  on  a  visit  to  Egypt, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  221 

had  a  conference  with  the  Khedive,  in  which  the  former  plainly 
indicated  that  the  slave  trade  had  to  be  suppressed,  either  by  the 
Egyptian  government  or  some  other  power.  This  conference 
stimulated  Ismail,  the  Khedive,  to  action,  and  sending  for  Sir 
Samuel  Baker,  he  had  an  interview  with  him,  which  resulted  in 
placing  him  in  command  of  an  expedition  for  the  suppression  of 
the  nefarious  traffic. 

To  effect  this  grand  reform  it  would  be  necessary  to  annex  the 
Soudan  and  that  country  lying  within  the  Nile  basin,  that  it 
might  be  under  the  direct  rulership  of  the  Khedive. 

The  expedition  was  fitted  out  with  a  lavish  hand,  as  Baker  was 
directed  to  make  all  his  preparations  without  regard  to  expense. 
Under  such  liberal  instructions,  he  had  specially  built  in  England 
three  small  steamers  and  two  life-boats  for  navigating  the  Nile. 
These  vessels  were  fitted  with  engines  of  the  best  construction, 
and  were  to  be  carried  across  the  Nubian  desert  in  plates  and 
sections. 

In  addition  to  the  steamers  were  steam  saw-mills,  with  a  boiler 
that  weighed  eight  hundred  pounds  in  one  piece — all  of  which 
would  have  to  be  transported  by  camels  for  several  hundred 
miles  across  the  Nubian  desert,  and  by  boats  and  camels  alter- 
nately from  Alexandria  to  Gondokoro,  a  distance  of  about  three 
thousand  miles. 

The  English  party  accompanying  the  expedition  consisted  of 
Sir  Samuel  Baker  and  his  courageous  wife  ;  Lieutenant  Julian 
A.  Baker,  R.  N.  ;  Edward  Higginbotham,  civil  engineer;  Mr. 
Wood,  secretary  ;  Dr.  Joseph  Gedge,  physician  ;  Mr.  Marcopolo, 
chief  store-keeper  and  interpreter;  Mr.  Me  William,  chief  engi- 
neer of  steamers  ;  Mr.  Jarvis,  chief  ship-wright ;  together  with 
Messrs.  Whitfield,  Samson,  Hitchman  and  Ramsdell.  Forty-five 
thousand  dollars  were  expended  in  stores,  calculated  to  last  the 
expedition  for  four  years. 

Six  steamers,  varying  from  forty  to  eighty  horse-power,  were 
ordered  to  leave  Cairo  in  June,  together  with  fifteen  sloops 
and  fifteen  diahbeeahs — total,  thirty-six  vessels — to  ascend  the 
cataracts  of  the  Nile  to  Khartoum,  a  distance  by  river  of  about 


222  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  These  vessels  were 
to  convey  the  whole  of  the  merchandise. 

Twenty-five  vessels  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  at  Khar- 
toum, together  with  three  steamers.  The  governor-general 
(Djiaffer  Pasha)  was  to  provide  these  vessels  by  a  certain  date, 
together  with  the  camels  and  horses  necessary  for  the  land 
transport. 

Thus,  when  the  fleet  should  arrive  at  Khartoum  from  Cairo, 
the  total  force  of  vessels  would  be  nine  steamers  and  fifty-five 
sailing  vessels,  the  latter  averaging  about  fifty  tons  each. 

The  military  arrangements  comprised  a  force  of  one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  forty-five  troops,  including  a  corps  of  two 
hundred  irregular  cavalry  and  two  batteries  of  artillery.  The 
infantry  were  two  regiments,  supposed  to  be  well  selected.  The 
black,  or  Soudani,  regiment  included  many  officers  and  men  who 
had  served  for  some  years  in  Mexico  with  the  French  army  under 
Marshal  Bazaine.  The  Egyptian  regiment  turned  out  to  be  for 
the  most  part  convicted  felons  who  had  been  transported  for 
various  crimes  from  Egypt  to  the  Soudan. 

The  artillery  were  rifled  mountain  guns  of  bronze,  the  barrel 
weighing  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  and  throwing  shells  of 
eight  and  a  quarter  pounds.  The  authorities  at  Woolwich  had 
kindly  supplied  the  expedition  with  two  hundred  Hale's  rockets 
— three  pounders — and  fifty  Snider  rifles,  together  with  fifty 
thousand  rounds  of  Snider  ammunition.  The  military  force  and 
supplies  were  to  be  massed  in  Khartoum  ready  to  meet  Baker 
upon  his  arrival. 

DEPARTURE    OF   THE    FLEET. 

THIS  imposing  army  and  flotilla  left  Suez  on  August  29th, 
1869,  and  proceeded  on  to  Souakim,  where,  after  a  week's  delay, 
camels  were  obtained  to  carry  the  expedition  across  the  desert, 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  to  Berber.  Reaching  this 
place,  another  fleet  of  thirty-three  vessels  of  fifty  and  sixty  tons 
burden  was  built,  which  carried  the  expedition  to  Gondokoro. 
one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Berber. 

The  trip  to  Gondokoro  was  full  of  incidents.  The  start  wa* 
made  in  the  latter  part  of  February,  with  so  many  sail-boats  that 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  223 

the  Nile  was  covered,  apparently,  for  mile?,  as  boat  straggled 
behind  boat,  strung  out  until  those  in  front  could  not  be  seen  by 
the  navigators  of  those  in  the  rear.  A  few  days  after  starting, 
one  of  the  troopers,  while  lazily  dangling  his  feet  over  the  side 
of  a  boat,  in  the  water,  was  seized  by  a  crocodile  and  carried  off, 
the  poor  fellow  having  no  time  to  make  any  outcry  ;  a  little  blood 
on  the  water  was  the  last  sign  left  of  him.  Three  days  later 
great  excitement  was  created  on  the  flag  steamer  by  the  attack 
of  a  hippopotamus. 

ATTACKED    BY  A   HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

BAKER  says :  "  At  1  P.  M.,  as  we  were  steaming  easily,  I  hap- 
pened to  be  asleep  on  the  poop-deck,  when  I  was  suddenly 
awakened  by  a  shock,  succeeded  almost  immediately  by  the  cry, 
*  The  ship  's  sinking  !'  A  hippopotamus  had  charged  the  steamer 
from  the  bottom,  and  had  smashed  several  floats  off  her  starboard 
paddle.  A  few  seconds  later  he  charged  our  diahbeeah,  and 
striking  her  bottom  about  ten  feet  from  the  bow,  ho  cut  two 
holes  through  the  iron  plates  with  his  tusks.  There  was  no  time 
to  lose,  as  the  water  was  rushing  in  with  great  force.  Fortu- 
nately, in  this  land  of  marsh  and  floating  grass,  there  were  a 
few  feet  of  tolerably  firm  ground  rising  from  the  deep  water. 
Running  alongside,  all  hands  were  soon  hard  at  work  discharging 
cargo  with  great  rapidity,  and  bailing  out  with  every  conceivable 
utensil,  until  we  obtained  assistance  from  the  steamer,  whose 
large  hand-pump  and  numerous  buckets  at  longth  so  far  overcame 
the  rush  of  water  that  we  could  discover  the  leaks." 

A  few  days  later,  while  the  boats  were  passing  through  a  lake, 
or  sudden  broadening  of  the  river,  Baker  saw  a  hippopotamus 
emerge  from  a  bank  of  high  grass.  Being  in  need  of  meat,  he 
took  a  small  boat  and  went  after  the  behemoth.  A  few  strokes 
placed  him  near  the  spot  where  the  animal  entered  the  water,  and 
a  moment  after,  with  a  snort,  it  arose  to  the  surface  fifty  yards 
distant.  A  shot  from  his  rifle  was  followed  by  the  disappearance 
of  the  animal,  and  frequent  soundings  failed  to  discover  the 
body.  The  boats  lay  by  until  morning,  as  it  was  now  quite  late, 
and  just  as  dawn  appeared  the  great  beast  was  seen  floating 


224 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


within  a  few  feet  of  the  flag  boat.  All  hands  turned  out  and 
towed  it  ashore,  where  they  fell  to  and  cut  it  up.  As  they  were 
completing  this  job,  a  rustling  in  a  pile  of  drif tweed  attracted 
their  attention,  and  upon  investigating  the  cause,  they  found  a 


large  crocodile  wedged  in  so  that  it  could  not  extricate  itself . 
With  pikes  and  poles  it  was  speedily  dispatched  and  cut  up  for 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  225 

food,  as  was  the  hippopotamus,  the  two  furnishing  meat  for  one 
day  for  the  entire  army. 

THE  FLEET  IS  FORCED  TO  RETREAT. 

THE  start  for  Gondokoro  had  been  made  at  a  very  inopportune 
time,  for  the  Nile  was  already  falling  and  progress  must  be 
necessarily  slow,  as  some  of  the  boats  drew  more  than  four  feet 
of  water.  After  proceeding  one-half  the  distance,  the  vegetation 
so  obstructed  the  river  that  it  was  impossible  to  proceed  further, 
and  a  retreat  had  to  be  made  back  to  the  Shillook  country,  and 
there  wait  until  the  November  inundation. 

FINE    SPORT    ALONG   THE     RIVER. 

THE  water  was  soon  receding  so  rapidly  that  the  boats  had  to 
be  pulled  by  a  thousand  men  across  the  vegetable  obstructions  ; 
in  fact  it  became  almost  dry-land  steamboating,  for  every  few 
miles  the  cables  were  run  out  and  a  long  double  line  of  men 
would  seize  them  and  force  the  boats  across  the  barriers  high  and 
dry,  into  water  again.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  .whiled  away  the 
tedium  of  the  journey  by  shooting,  every  day  killing  hippopo- 
tami, crocodiles,  antelopes,  geese  and  ducks,  so  that  an  abun- 
dance of  fresh  meat  was  always  available.  Mrs.  Baker  was  as 
keen  a  lover  of  hunting  as  her  husband,  and  was  almost  as  good 
a  shot,  while  her  powers  of  endurance  and  courage  were 
phenomenal. 

LIBERATING    SLAVES. 

As  the  expedition  approached  the  Shillook  country,  Baker  was 
astounded  to  find  that  the  governor  of  Fashoda  was  engaged  in 
the  capture  of  slaves.  This  discovery  was  made  by  accident. 
Baker  saw  an  old  man  seated  on  the  bank,  who  had  apparently 
escaped  from  some  bad  master,  and  who  told  of  his  captivity  and 
efforts  to  escape  back  to  his  people.  The  governor  of  F.ishoda 
had  been  pretending,  for  years,  that  he  was  violently  opposed  to 
slave  hunting  and  that  no  slave-traders  could  cross  his^ountry. 
He  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  in  his  pens  were  discovered  184 
women  and  little  children,  whose  village  he  had  a  few  days  before 
destroyed  and  taken  them  into  captivity,  after  killing  all  but  ten 
16 


226 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


of  the  men.     Baker  set  the  poor  people  at  liberty  and  reported 
the  governor  to  the  Khedive  for  punishment. 

The  boats  were  put  into  harbor  and  a  town  was  begun,  which, 
in  honor  of  Ismail's  youngest  son,  was  called  Tewtikeeyah.    Here 


workshops,  steam  saw-mills  and  huts  soon  dotted  the  formerly 
barren  ground.  Boats  were  constructed  to  take  the  place  of 
several  that  had  been  badly  demoralized,  gardens  were  planted 
and  the  hum  of  industry  was  heard  on  every  side.  Baker 
watched  over  his  temporary  colony  with  care  and  pride,  but  he 
did  not  wholly  abandon  the  hunt.  One  morning,  while  riding 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  227 

out  in  the  country  with  his  second  in  command,  Col.  Abd-el- 
Kader,  he  saw  several  ostriches  feeding  on  the  open  plain  ;  they 
were  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  the  country  was  so  open  that 
it  was  impossible  to  stalk  them.  "While  gazing  and  longing, 
another  ostrich  was  seen  away  off  to  the  left  at  the  edge  of  a 
covert.  Immediately  Baker  dismounted  and  started  through  the 
woods,  but  when  he  approached  within  what  he  supposed  was 
shooting  distance  of  where  the  bird  had  been,  he  saw  it  runnim 

O  O 

across  the  country,  having  taken  fright  without  his  knowledge. 
He  walked  on  and  soon  saw  another  running  over  the  plain,  and 
at  this  he  fired  with  success,  the  heavy  bird  falling  so  hard  from 
its  momentum  that  its  feathers  flew  out  in  large  quantities.  A 
mounted  orderly  was  dispatched  to  bring  men  and  donkeys. 
When  the  bird  was  cut  up  the  two  thighs  and  legs  were  a  fail- 
load  for  two  donkeys.  Its  stomach — or  craw — was  filled  with 
lizards,  scorpions,  beetles,  leaves  of  trees  and  quartz-pebbles. 
It  must  have  recently  traveled  a  great  distance,  because  there 
were  no  pebbles  within  two  hundred  miles  of  tiue  place. 

FATE    OF   AN   OLD    BLIND    MA^. 

THE  natives  of  the  Shillook  country  were,  scrupulously  honest. 
They  became  quite  familiar  with  Baker's  ^ien,  and  carried  on  a 
considerable  trade  with  them.  If  there  were  any  differences 
between  them  and  the  soldiers,  Baker  always  found  that  the  fault 
lay  with  his  men.  These  people  lived  along  the  opposite  banks 
of  the  Nile,  which  was  of  considerable  breadth  at  Tewfikeeyah  ; 
they  crossed  the  streams  in  canoes,  or  on  rafts,  made  of  the 
extremely  light  but  strong  ambatch  wood,  and  which  being  lighter 
than  cork,  could  be  carried  easily  on  the  head.  The  country  was 
usually  rich,  and  being  well  supplied  with  rains,  is  susceptible  of 
a  profitable  cultivation,  e?pecially  adapted  for  cotton. 

Baker  relates  the  following  incident :  "There  was  an  old  blind 
sheik  who  frequently  visited  us  from  the  other  side,  and  this  poor 
fellow  came  to  an  untimely  end  when  returning  one  day  with  his 
son  from  marketing  at  Tewfikeeyah.  I  was  walking  on  the  quay, 
when  I  heard  a  great  commotion,  and  saw  a  splashing  in  the 
river,  the  surface  of  which  was  covered  with  the  ambatch  frag- 


228 


THE   WORLD  3   WONDERS. 


ments  of  a  native  canoe.  There  were  many  canoes  on  the  rivei, 
several  of  which  immediately  went  to  the  assistance  of  the  two 
men  who  were  struggling  in  the  water.  A  hippopotamus  had 
wantonly  charged  the  canoe  ;  and  seizing  it  in  his  mouth,  together 


with  the  poor  old  blind  sheik,  who  could  not  avoid  the  danger, 
crunched  the  frail  boat  to  pieces,  and  so  crushed  and  lacerated 
the  old  man  that,  although  he  was  rescued  by  his  comrades,  he 
died  during  the  night;" 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  229 

CAPTURE  OF  A  SLAVER. 

Ox  the  10th  of  May  a  sail  was  reported  by  the  sentries.  The 
slave-traders  did  not  know  that  Baker  had  established  a  station, 
but  supposed  he  had  gone  back  to  Khartoum.  He  was  anxious 
to  know  if  the  governor  of  Fashoda  would  have  the  audacity  to 
send  any  slaves  down  the  Nile  after  his  experience  a«nd  orders  to 
assist  in  suppressing  the  slave  trade.  He  therefore  sent  a  boat 
out  to  hail  the  strange  craft,  which  being  brought  to  was  boarded 
and  examined.  The  captain  declared  he  had  nothing  on  board 
but  corn  and  ivory,  but  his  protestations  and  avowals  did  not 
allay  Baker's  suspicions.  The  boat  appeared  to  be  suspiciously 
full  of  corn  to  be  homeward  bound,  while  about  the  closely- 
boarded  forecastle  there  was  a  smelt  indicative  of  unwashed 
negroes.  Col.  Abd-el-Kader  drew  a  steel  ramrod  from  a  soldier's 
rifle,  and  probed  sharply  through  the  corn.  A  smothered  cry 
from  beneath,  and  a  wriggling  among  the  corn,  was  succeeded  by 
a  woolly  head,  as  the  strong  Abd-el-Kader,  having  thrust  his 
long  arm  into  the  grain,  dragged  forth  by  the  wrist  a  negro 
woman.  The  corn  was  at  once  removed;  the  planks  which 
boarded  up  the  forecastle  and  the  stern  were  broken  down  ;  and 
there  was  a  mass  of  humanity  exposed — boys,  girls,  and  women — 
closely  packed  like  herrings  in  a  barrel,  who,  under  the  fear  of 
threats, had  remained  perfectly  silent  until  thus  discovered.  The 
sail  attached  to  the  mainyard  of  the  vessel  appeared  full  and 
heavy  in  the  lower  part ;  this  was  examined,  and,  upon  unpack- 
ing, it  yielded  a  young  woman,  who  had  thus  been  sewn  up  to 
avoid  discovery. 

Baker  at  once  ordered  the  vessel  to  be  unloaded.  He  found 
one  hundred  and  fifty  slaves  stowed  away  in  a  most  inconceivably 
small  area.  The  stench  was  horrible  when  they  began  to  move. 
Many  were  in  irons  ;  these  were  quickly  released  by  the  black- 
smiths, to  the  astonishment  of  the  captives,  who  did  not  appear 
to  understand  the  proceedings. 

Baker  ordered  the  vakeel  and  the  reis,  or  captain,  of  the  vessel 
to  be  put  in  irons.  The  slaves  began  to  comprehend  that  their 
captors  were  now  captives.  They  began  to  speak,  and  many 


230  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

declared  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  men  of  their  villages 
had  been  killed  by  the  slave-hunters. 

The  vessel  was  sent  to  Khartoum  to  be  confiscated  as  a  slaver, 
while  the  slaves  were  taken  off,  ordered  to  wash, and  cloths  were 
then  issued  to  the  naked  women.  The  result  of  this  capture  is 
described  by  Baker  as  follows  :  "  On  the  following  day  I  inspected 
the  captives,  and  explained  to  them  their  exact  position.  They 
were  free  people,  and  if  their  homes  were  at  a  reasonable  dis- 
tance they  should  be  returned.  If  not,  they  must  make  them- 
selves generally  useful,  in  return  for  which  they  would  be  fed 
and  clothed.  If  any  of  the  women  wished  to  marry,  there  were 
many  fine  young  men  in  the  regiments  who  would  make  capital 
husbands.  I  gave  each  person  a  paper  of  freedom  signed  by 
myself.  This  was  contained  in  a  hollow  reed,  and  suspended 
round  their  necks.  Their  names,  approximate  age,  sex,  and 
country  were  registered  in  a  book  corresponding  with  the  num- 
bers on  their  papers. 

**  These  arrangements  occupied  the  whole  morning.  In  the 
afternoon  I  again  inspected  them.  Having  asked  the  officer 
whether  any  of  the  negresses  would  wish  to  be  married,  he  re- 
plied that  all  the  women  wished  to  marry,  and  that  they  had 
already  selected  their  husbands  1  This  was  a  wholesale  matri- 
mony, that  required  a  church  as  large  as  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  a  whole  company  of  clergy  !  Fortunately,  matters  are  briefly 
arranged  in  Africa.  I  saw  the  loving  couples  standing  hand  in 
hand.  Some  of  the  girls  were  pretty,  and  my  black  troops  had 
shown  good  taste  in  their  selection.  Unfortunately,  however, 
for  the  Egyptian  regiment,  the  black  ladies  had  a  strong  antip- 
athy to  brown  men,  and  the  suitors  were  all  refused.  This  was 
a  very  awkward  affair.  The  ladies  having  received  their  freedom, 
at  once  asserted  *  woman's  rights.'  I  was  obliged  to  limit  the 
matrimonial  engagements  ;  and  those  who  were  for  a  time  con- 
demned to  single  blessedness  were  placed  in  charge  of  certain 
officers,  to  perform  the  cooking  for  the  troops  and  other  domes- 
tic work.  I  divided  the  boys  into  classes  :  some  I  gave  to  the 
English  workmen,  to  be  instructed  in  carpenter's  and  blacksmith's 


WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

work;  others  were  apprenticed  to  tailors,  shoemakers,  etc.,  in 
the  regiment,  while  the  best  looking  were  selected  as  domestic 
servants.  A  nice  little  girl,  of  about  three  years  old,  without 
parents,  was  taken  care  of  by  my  wife." 

THE    EXPEDITION   MOVES   FORWARD. 

IT  was  not  until  December  llth  that  the  Nile  had  risen  suffi- 
ciently to  permit  a  passage  of  the  fleet,  on  which  date  the  expe- 
dition again  departed  for  Gondokoro,  with  a  fleet  of  fifty-nine 
vessels,  including  the  steamers,  and  seven  small  boats.  Just  as 
they  were  about  to  start,  Dr.  Gedge  took  suddenly  ill  and  died, 
which  was  a  great  loss,  as  he  was  not  only  a  most  excellent  phys- 
ician, but  equally  well  versed  in  botany  and  natural  history. 

Although  the  White  Nile  was  very  high,  it  was  so  full  of  drift 
and  vegetation  that  a  pathway  had  almost  to  be  cut  through  it  in 
scores  of  places.  It  was  by  no  means  easy  sailing  at  any  point, 
for  the  men  generally  were  averse  to  the  expedition,  and  showed 
neither  skill  nor  energy  in  handling  the  boats.  At  one  place  the 
entire  fleet  grounded,  and  the  vessels  had  to  be  pulled  away, 
causing  a  delay  of  several  days.  Through  inexcusable  careless- 
ness two  boats  were  sunk,  one  of  which  carried  a  section  of  the 
steel  cruiser  that  was  intended  to  be  put  into  service  on  Albert 
lake.  Thus  a  bad  river  and  worse  boatmen  caused  very  slow 
progress. 

ATTACKED    BY   A   VICIOUS    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

HIPPOPOTAMI  and  crocodiles  were  encountered  in  great  num- 
bers, affording  sport  to  Baker  and  meat  for  the  men.  Several 
adventures  were  met  with,  but  the  most  interesting  is  as  follows, 
which  we  quote  in  Baker's  own  language  : 

"  The  night  was  cold,  and  the  moon  clear  and  bright;  every 
one  was  wrapped  up  in  warm  blankets,  and  I  was  so  sound 
asleep  that  I  cannot  describe  more  until  I  was  suddenly  awakened 
by  a  tremendous  splashing  quite  close  to  the  diahbeeah,  accom- 
panied by  the  hoarse,  wild  snorting  of  a  furious  hippopotamus. 
1  jumped  up,  and  immediately  perceived  a  hippo,  which  was 
apparently  about  to  attack  the  vessel.  The  main-deck  being 
crowded  with  people  sleeping  beneath  their  thick  mosquito 


232  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

curtains,  attached  to  the  stairs  of  the  poop-deck  and  to  the  rig- 
ging in  all  directions,  rendered  it  impossible  to  descend.  I  at 
once  tore  away  some  of  the  ties  and  awakened  the  sleepy  people. 
My  servant,  Suleiman,  was  sleeping  next  to  the  cabin  door.  I  called 
to  him  for  a  rifle.  Before  the  affrighted  Suleiman  could  bring 
the  rifle,  the  hippopotamus  dashed  at  us  with  indescribable  fury. 
With  one  blow  he  capsized  and  sank  the  zinc  boat  with  its  cargo 
of  flesh.  In  another  instant  he  seized  the  dingy  in  his  immense 
jaws,  and  the  crash  of  splintered  wood  betokened  the  complete 
destruction  of  my  favorite  boat.  By  this  time  Suleiman  appeared 
from  the  cabin  with  an  unloaded  gun  in  his  hand,  and  without 
ammunition.  He  was  a  very  good  man,  but  was  never  overbur« 
dened  with  presence  of  mind  ;  he  was  shaking  so  fearfully  with 
nervousness  that  his  senses  had  entirely  abandoned  him.  All  the 
people  were  shouting  and  endeavoring  to  scare  the  hippo,  which 
attacked  us  without  ceasing  with  a  blind  fury  that  I  have  never 
witnessed  in  any  animal  except  a  bull-dog. 

"  By  this  time  I  had  procured  a  rifle  from  the  cabin,  where  they 
were  always  kept  fixed  in  a  row,  loaded,  and  ready  for  action, 
with  bags  of  breech-loading1  ammunition  on  the  same  shelf.  The 
movements  of  the  animal  were  so  rapid,  as  he  charged  and 
plunged  alternately  beneath  the  water  in  a  cloud  of  foam  and 
wave,  that  it  was  impossible  to  aim  correctly  at  the  small  but 
fatal  spot  upon  his  head.  The  moon  was  extremely  bright,  and 
presently,  as  he  charged  staight  at  the  diahbeeah,  I  stopped  him 
with  a  No.  8  Reilly  shell.  To  my  surprise  he  soon  recovered, 
and  again  commenced  the  attack.  I  fired  shot  after  shot  at  him 
without  apparent  effect.  The  diahbeeah  rocked  about  upon  the 
waves  raised  by  the  efforts  of  so  large  an  animal ;  this  move- 
ment rendered  the  aim  uncertain.  At  length,  apparently  badly 
wounded,  he  retired  to  the  high  grass  ;  there  he  lay  by  the  bank, 
at  about  twenty-five  yards'  distance,  snorting  and  blowing.  I 
could  not  distinguish  him,  as  merely  the  head  was  above  water, 
and  this  was  concealed  by  the  deep  shadow  thrown  by  the  high 
grass.  Thinking  that  he  would  die,  I  went  to  bed  ;  but  before 
this  I  took  the  precaution  to  arrange  a  white-paper  sight  upon  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  233 

muzzle  of  my  rifle,  without  which  night-shooting  is  very  uncer- 
tain. We  had  fallen  asleep  ;  but  in  about  half  an  hour  we  were 
awakened  by  another  tremendous  splash,  and  once  more  this 
mad  beast  came  charging  directly  at  us  as  though  unhurt.  In 
another  instant  he  was  at  the  diahbeeah  ;  but  I  met  him  with  a 
ball  in  the  top  of  his  head,  which  sent  him  rolling  over  and  over, 
sometimes  on  his  back,  kicking  with  his  four  legs  above  the 
surface,  and  again  producing  waves  which  rocked  the  diahbeeah. 
In  this  helpless  manner  he  rolled  for  about  fifty  yards  down  the 
stream,  and  we  all  thought  him  killed.  To  our  amazement  he 
recovered,  and  we  heard  him  splashing  as  he  moved  slowly  along 
the  river  through  the  high  grass  by  the  left  bank.  There  he 
remained,  snorting  and  blowing;  and  as  the  light  of  the  moon 
was  of  no  service  in  the  dark  shadows  of  the  high  grass,  we 
waited  for  a  considerable  time,  and  then  went  to  bed,  with  the 
rifle  placed  in  readiness  on  deck.  In  a  short  time  I  heard  louder 
splashing.  I  again  got  up,  and  perceived  him  about  eighty  yards 
distant,  walking  slowly  across  the  river  in  the  shallows.  Having 
a  fair  shot  at  the  shoulder,  I  fired  right  and  left  with  the  No.  8 
Reilly  rifle,  and  distinctly  heard  the  bullets  strike.  He  never- 
theless reached  the  right  bank,  when  he  presently  turned  round 
and  attempted  to  recross  the  shallows.  This  gave  me  a  good 
chance  at  the  shoulder,  as  his  body  was  entirely  exposed.  This 
time  he  staggered  forward  at  the  shot  and  fell  dead  in  the  shallow 
flat  of  the  river." 

On  the  following  morning  Baker  examined  the  animal  and 
found  that  it  had  received  three  shots  in  the  shoulder,  four  in 
the  head,  one  of  which  had  broken  the  lower  jaw  ;  another  had 
passed  through  its  nose  and  ranging  downward  had  cut  off  one 
of  the  large  tusks. 

"  I  never  witnessed  such  determined  and  unprovoked  fury  as 
was  exhibited  by  this  animal,"  says  Baker ;  "he  appeared  to  be 
raving  mad.  His  body  was  a  mass  of  frightful  scars,  the  result 
of  continual  conflicts  with  bulls  of  his  own  species.  I  can  only 
suppose  that 'the  attack  upon  the  vessels  was  induced  by  the 
smell  of  the  raw  hippopotamus  flesh  which  was  hung  in  long 


234  THE  -WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

strips  about  the  ringing,  and  with  which  the  zinc  boot  was  filled. 
The  dingy  had  lost  a  mouthful,  as  the  hippopotamus  had  bitten 
out  a  portion  of  the  side,  including  the  gunwale  of  hard  wood  ; 
he  had  munched  out  a  piece  like  the  port  of  a  small  vessel,  which 
he  accomplished  with  the  same  ease  as  though  it  had  been  a  slice 
of  toast." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

GONDOKORO    AGAIN. 

AFTER  a  tedious  voyage  of  five  months  and  twenty-two  days, 
relieved  only  by  sport  among  large  game,  the  expedition  reached 
Gondokoro.  Four  years  had  elapsed  since  Baker  last  saw  this 
place,  and  in  that  time  a  change  had  occurred  of  a  most  surprising 
nature.  Instead  of  a  fairly  prosperous  headquarters  for  ivory 
and  slave-traders,  it  had  been  desolated  by  the  Loquias,  all  the 
good  buildings  being  destroyed  and  nothing  remaining  but  a  few 
miserable  huts  occupied  by  the  Baris. 

Gondokoro  was  the  place  selected  by  Baker  for  his  headquar- 
ters, but  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  put  up  buildings,  both  for 
quarters  and"  storehouses.  The  Baris  sullenly  objected  to  his 
occupation  of  the  town,  and  absolutely  refused  to  sell  a  single 
cow  or  sheep,  thousands  of  which  dotted  the  surrounding  plain. 
Baker  had  to  take  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the 
Khedive,  and,  to  provide  food,  he  put  his  soldiers  to  work  culti- 
vating a  large  section  of  land.  After  a  thorough  plowing  of  the 
soil,  he  planted  corn,  melons  and  various  other  products,  including 
a  large  variety  of  garden  vegetables. 

Things  would  have  shaped  their  course  properly  but  for  the 
continued  hostile  attitude  which  the  Baris  maintained.  This 
tribe  of  savages  are  the  most  unruly  of  any  in  Africa ;  their 
occupation  is  war,  for  which  they  begin  to  prepare  almost  in 
their  infancy.  Their  war  drum,  in  the  head  chief 's  village,  is  so 
large  that  two  men  can  scarcely  carry  it.  This  instrument,  shaped 
like  an  egg  with  one  end  cut  off,  is  placed  beneath  a  shed  near 
tl-«  center  of  the  village,  and  is  in  charge  of  the  chief ;  in  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  235 

morning  he  beats  the  signal  that  sends  the  women  out  to  milk 
the  cows  ;  at  another  signal  they  drive  them  to  pasture,  etc.,  so 
that  the  drum  signalizes  nearly  all  their  domestic — communistic 
— duties.  But  its  most  ominous  notes,  a  prolonged,  rapid  pound- 
ing, brings  every  soldier  quickly  to  his  post,  with  their  bows  and 
poisoned  arrows,  and  murderous-looking  lances,  which  they  can 
throw  with  deadly  effect  fifty  yards. 

AN   ATTACK   BY   THE    BARIS. 

As  the  country  had  now  been  annexed  to  Egypt,  Baker  issued 
such  orders  as  he  considered  necessary  for  its  proper  government, 
among  others  being  one  which  prohibited  the  Baris  from  grazing 
their  cattle  on  a  certain  piece  of  rich  pasturage,  which  he  reserved 
for  the  use  of  the  stock  belonging  to  the  expedition.  The  sav- 
ages paid  no  attention  to  this  order,  evidently  thinking,  and  with 
apparent  justice,  that  they  had  as  much  right  to  the  country  as 
the  white  man.  But  Baker  was  determined  not  to  be  outdone, 
so  he  directed  his  men  to  surround  the  cattle  and  drive  them  into 
his  own  kraal.  This  quickly  brought  all  the  chiefs  to  head- 
quarters, for  their  cattle  constituted  their  wealth.  After  a  great 
deal  of  parleying  they  agreed,  if  their  cattle  were  returned  to 
them,  that  they  would  abandon  the  disputed  pasturage  and  not 
interfere  further.  Baker  consented  to  this  arrangement,  and 
their  herds  were  turned  loose  ;  but  they  were  driven  at  once  to 
the  same  piece  of  ground.  This  was  a  challenge  that  Baker  could 
not  endure,  and  he  again  had  the  cattle  seized  and  driven  into  his 
kraal. 

It  was  now  plain  to  be  seen  that  serious  trouble  was  brewing. 
Every  day  the  great  drum  was  beaten,  summoning  the  Bari  war- 
riors to  a  meeting,  at  which  they  went  through  their  war  exer- 
cises of  fighting  an  imaginary  enemy.  At  length,  active  hostilities 
were  begun  by  a  body  of  Baris  attacking  eighteen  soldiers  while 
the  latter  were  engaged  cutting  tamarind  trees  for  building  pur- 
poses, about  three  miles  from  camp.  A  great  many  arrows  were 
shot,  happily  without  serious  results,  as  the  men  were  protected 
by  a  clump  of  trees  and  kept  their  assailants  off  by  firing  their 
guns. 


236 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


On  the  following  day,  while  the  cattle  were  grazing  in  the 
beautiful  park-like  ground  about  a  mile  from  head-quarters,  some 
Baris,  who  had  stealthily  approached  the  herd  by  stalking  from 
bush  to  bush  without  being  observed  by  the  sleepy  guards,  made 


a  sudden  rush,  with  loud  yells,  among  the  cattle,  and  succeeded 
in  driving  off  ten  cows,  with  which  they  swam  the  river  without 
a  shot  being  fired  by  the  unready  soldiers. 

Every  night  after  this  there  was  an  attack  upon  the  kraal,  and 
during  one  of  these  several  of  the  savages  were  killed  and  others 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  237 

taken  prisoners.  But  this  did  not  deter  them,  for  after  resting 
one  night,  they  again  assailed  the  camp  with  great  fury  and  suc- 
ceeded in  shooting  two  soldiers  and  releasing  the  cattle,  which 
immediately  stampeded  and  scattered  over  the  country 

Baker  now  determined  upon  an  expedition  against  the  rebels, 
whose  largest  village  was  about  twelve  miles  from  Gondokoro. 
Taking  seventy  men  and  one  piece  of  artillery,  he  made  a  forced 
march  at  night  to  surprise  them  in  the  morning,  but  as  he  got  in 
sight  of  the  village,  a  watchman  gave  the  usual  shrill  whistle  of 
alarm,  and  immediately  the  big  drum  sounded  and  the  village 
was  ready  for  the  attack.  A  brisk  battle  followed,  with  bows 
and  arrows  on  one  side  and  Snider  rifles  on  the  other.  At  first 
Baker's  attention  was  directed  toward  forcing  the  stockade,  but 
the  beating  of  drums  now  heard  on  every  side  told  him  that  the 
whole  country  was  aroused  and  that  his  force  would  soon  be  sur- 
rounded. Desperate  efforts  were  made  to  force  an  entrance 
through  the  stockade,  but  the  briars  and  hard  wood  resisted  for 
a  long  time  ;  skirmishers  were  thrown  out  around  the  circle 
eighty  yards  from  the  stockade  to  keep  back  the  legions  that 
were  rushing  to  the  rescue,  but  the  soldiers  would  have  been 
massacred  by  sheer  force  of  numbers  had  it  not  been  that  the 
stockade  yielded  at  a  fortunate  moment,  and  all  of  Baker's  men 
rushed  in,  while  the  Baris  inside  with  equal  alacrity  rushed  out. 
Protected  as  they  now  were,  they  could  fight  the  battle  their  own 
way,  and  gained  a  decided  victory.  Not  only  was  the  victory 
complete,  but  Baker  recovered  the  five  hundred  head  of  cattle 
that  had  been  stampeded,  these  having  all  been  collected  within 
the  stockade  of  the  village  attacked. 

SOLDIERS  EATEN  BY  CROCODILES. 

SAVAGES  were  not  the  only  enemies  which  they  had  to  contend 
with,  for  the  crocodiles  in  the  neighborhood  were  so  numerous 
and  ferocious  that  they  were  a  source  of  great  loss  and  constant 
danger.  As  the  natives  were  so  much  in  the  habit  of  swimming 
to  and  fro  with  their  cattle,  these  wily  creatures  had  been  always 
accustomed  to  claim  a  toll  in  the  shape  of  a  cow,  calf,  or  nigger. 
Two  <yf  Abou  Saood's  sailors  wpr-o  carried  off  on  two  consecutive 


238  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

days.  One  of  Baker's  soldiers,  while  engaged  with  many  others 
in  the  water,  only  hip  deep,  was  seized  by  a  crocodile.  The 
man,  being  held  by  the  leg  below  the  knee,  made  a  good  fight, 
and  thrust  his  fingers  into  the  creature's  eyes ;  his  comrades  at 
the  same  time  assisted,  and  rescued  him  from  absolute  destruc- 
tion ;  but  the  leg-bone  was  so  mashed  and  splintered  in  many 
places  that  he  was  obliged  to  submit  to  amputation. 

One  of  the  sailors  had  a  narrow  escape.  He  and  many  others 
were  engaged  in  collecting  the  leaves  of  a  species  of  water-coii- 
volvulus  that  make  an  excellent  spinach  ;  this  plant  is  rooted  on 
the  muddy  bank,  but  it  runs  upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  upon 
which  its  pink  blossoms  are  very  ornamental. 

The  sailor  was  stooping  from  the  bank  to  gather  the  floating 
leaves,  when  he  was  suddenly  seized  by  the  arm  at  the  elbow- 
joint  ;  his  friends  immediately  caught  him  round  the  waist,  and 
their  united  efforts  prevented  him  from  being  dragged  into  the 
water.  The  crocodile,  having  tasted  blood,  would  not  quit  its 
hold,  but  tugged  and  wrenched  the  arm  completely  off  at  the 
elbow,  and  went  off  with  its  prize.  The  unfortunate  man,  in 
excruciating  agony,  was  brought  to  the  camp,  where  it  was 
necessary  to  amputate  another  piece  slightly  above  the  lacerated 
joint. 

Baker  indulged  very  much  in  the  sport  of  crocodile  shooting, 
but  though  he  killed  many,  they  generally  managed  to  get  into 
deep  water  and  thus  prevent  recovery  of  the  body.  On  one 
occasion,  passing  along  by  some  lily-pods,  he  saw  the  head  of  a 
crocodile  protruding  from  the  mass  of  vegetation  and  offering  a 
beautiful  shot.  A  bullet  was  placed  just  under  his  left  eye,  and 
the  ferocious  beast  turned  over  on  its  back  apparently  stone  dead. 
Men  were  ordered  to  secure  it  with  ropes,  as  the  water  was 
shallow,  for  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  so  tenacious  of  life  are 
these  creatures  that  though  shot  through  the  brain  they  will, 
after  lying  still  a  while,  struggle  violently,  and  even  when  dead 
spasmodic  movements  of  their  limbs  will  often  carry  them  to 
deep  water.  A  long  rope  was  brought  and  two  men  waded  into 
the  shallow  water  to  adjust  it  around  the  creature's  body,  when 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


239 


it  began  to  struggle  and  open  its  dreadful  jaws,  which  so  terrified 
the  men  that  they  would  have  dropped  the  rope  and  fled,  had  not 
Baker  shot  it  again  in  the  shoulder,  which  ended  its  struggles. 
The  rope  was  now  put  around  the  crocodile  and  a  number  of  men 
hauled  it  ashore,  where  it  was  measured  by  Baker  and  proved  to 
be  twelve  feet  three  inches  long.  The  stomach  contained  about 
five  pounds'  weight  of  pebbles,  as  though  it  had  fed  upon  flesh 
resting  upon  a  gravel-bank,  and  had  swallowed  the  pebbles  that 


TOWING  THE  CROCODILE  ASHORE. 


had  adhered.  Mixed  with  the  pebbles  was  a  greenish,  slimy 
matter  that  appeared  woolly.  In  the  midst  of  these  were  three 
undeniable  witnesses  that  convicted  the  crocodile  of  willful 
murder,  A  necklace  and  two  armlets,  such  as  are  worn  by  the 
negro  girls,  were  taken  from  the  stomach  !  The  girl  had  been 
digested. 

Crocodiles  gre  frequently  seen  upward  of  eighteen  feet  in 
length,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  they  sometimes  exceed 
twenty  ;  but  a  very  small  creature  of  this  species  may  carry  away 
a  man  while  swim  ming  The  crocodile  does  not  attempt  to  swallow 


240  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

to  swallow  at  once ;  but  having  carried  its  victim  to  a  favorite 
feeding  place,  generally  in  some  deep  hole,  it  tears  it  limb  from 
limb  with  teeth  and  claws,  and  devours  it  at  leisure. 

ATTACK    ON   A    HERD    OF    ELEPHANTS. 

IN  the  middle  of  November  Lieutenant  Baker  started  with 
some  troops  to  convey  corn  from  a  distant  village,  but  he  had 
proceeded  only  a  short  distance  when  he  saw  a  herd  of  eleven 
bull  elephants  approaching  from  the  west.  Eiding  back  quickly 
he  informed  Sir  Samuel  Baker,  who  at  the  time  was  enjoying 
a  pipe  OR  the  poop-deck  of  his  diahbeeah.  Not  being  prepared 
for  elephant-shooting,  he  recommended  his  lieutenant  to  return 
to  his  troops,  who  would  be  wasting  their  time.  A  half-hour 
afterward  the  elephants  approached  within  four  hundred  yards 
of  the  camp,  apparently  unconscious  of  danger.  Baker  could 
not  withstand  the  temptation,  so  ordering  his  favorite  horse 
saddled,  he  seized  two  Holland  rifles  which  curried  a  half-pound 
iron,  lead-coated  explosive  shell,  and  started  after  them.  Several 
men  were  ordered  to  gain  the  rear  of  the  herd,  so  as  to  turn 
them  should  they  retreat,  while  others  flanked  fo  drive  them 
toward  the  river.  The  brutes  at  first  sight  took  to  water,  and 

O 

Baker  dismounted  to  fire  when  they  should  gain  the  opposite 
bank,  on  an  island,  which  was  less  than  one  hundred  yards 
distant.  When  they  had  crossed  they  found  an  unexpected  diffi- 
culty, in  the  precipitous  bank,  which  they  were  unable  to  scale. 
But  they  fell  to  with  their  tusks,  and  began  tearing  down  the 
bank  to  an  incline  ;  and  while  thus  engaged  Baker  secured  several 
shots,  which  had  no  other  effect,  however,  than  to  tumble  one 
of  them  occasionally  back  into  the  water  half-stunned.  After  a 
while  so  much  of  the  bank  was  torn  away  that  the  elephants 
began  to  mount,  showing  their  bodies  completely  out  of  water. 
Effective  shooting  now  began,  but  when  the  second  animal  had 
been  killed  the  ammunition  gave  out,  and  the  hunt  ended.  The 
elephants  were  now  butchered  and  the  meat  divided  among  the 
men. 

From  a  distance  the  Baris  watched  the  process,  and  so  anxious 
did  they  finally  become  to  share  some  of  the  spoils  that  several 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


241 


chiefs  came  down  and  sued  for  peace,  declaring  their  friendship 
and  a  desire  to  live  in  friendly  relations  with  the  Khedive's  Gen- 
eral ,  winding  up  their  peaceful  protestations  with  requests  for 


some  elephant  meat,  which  of  course  was  given  them.  So  the 
hunt  had  not  only  supplied  the  men  with  much-needed  food,  but 
it  also  secured  a  permanent  peace  with  the  surrounding  tribes  of 
savages,  who,  although  very  warlike,  loved  elephant  meat  better 


16 


242  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

than  fighting.  This  extraordinary  craving  for  flesh  would  suggest 
that  the  Baris  were  devoid  of  cattle.  On  the  contrary,  there 
were  countless  herds  throughout  the  country ;  but  the  natives 
have  a  great  objection  to  killing  them,  and  merely  keep  the  cows 
for  their  milk,  and  the  bullocks  to  bleed.  The  cows  are  also 
bled  periodically,  and  the  blood  is  boiled  and  eaten,  much  in  the 
same  manner  that  black  pudding  is  used  throughout  Europe.  A 
herd  of  cattle  will  thus  provide  animal  food  without  the  necessity 
of  slaughtering. 

The  great  traveler,  Bruce,  was  discredited  for  having  described 
a  fact  of  which  he  was  an  eye-witness.  This  was  the  vivisection 
of  a  cow  driven  by  natives,  who  cut  a  steak  out  of  her  hind- 
quarters. Baker  had  purchased  a  bull  with  a  very  large  hump. 
This  animal  was  very  handsome,  and  was  kept  for  stock.  He 
observed  that  the  skin  of  the  hump  showed  a  long  jagged  scar 
from  end  to  end,  and  the  natives  assured  him  that  the  bull  had 
frequently  been  operated  upon.  It  had  been  the  property  of  one 
of  the  slave-hunters'  parties,  and  they  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
removing  the  hump  as  a  surgeon  would  a  tumor.  This  is  the 
most  delicate  portion  of  the  meat,  and  it  would  always  be  replaced 
by  a  similar  growth  after  each  operation. 

WONDERFUL  STRENGTH  OF  THE  ELEPHANT. 

ELEPHANTS  were  plenty  in  the  vicinity  of  Gondokoro,  and  very 
bold,  as  the  Bari  people  never  hunt  them,  trusting  entirely  to 
pitfalls.  Two  large  bull  elephants  actually  had  the  effrontery  to 
invade  the  camp  one  night,  gaining  access  through  the  gate  where 
a  sleeping  sentinel  lay  unconscious  of  all  surroundings.  An 
alarm  was  soon  sounded,  and  the  troops  called  out  to  meet  the 
brutes  ;  such  firing  was  never  before  heard  except  in  battle  ;  so 
excited  were  the  men  that  they  fired  hap-hazard,  in  every  direc- 
tion, with  infinitely  more  danger  to  themselves  than  to  the  ele- 
phants, which,  after  nearly  an  hour's  firing,  escaped,  very  little 
the  worse  for  their  adventure.  Baker  relates  the  following  inci- 
dent, illustrative  of  the  great  strength  of  an  elephant :  "  I  once 
had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  an  elephant's  strength  exerted 
in  his  search  for  a  certain  small  fruit  of  which  they  are  very  fond. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


243 


1  was  in  the  Shir  country ;  and  one  evening,  accompanied  by 
Lieutenant  Baker,  I  strolled  into  the  forest  about  half  a  mile 
from  our  vessels,  to  watch  for  water-buck  in  a  small  glade  where 
I  had  shot  one  on  the  previous  evening.  We  had  not  long  been 
concealed  when  I  heard  a  peculiar  noise  in  the  thick  forest  that 


denoted  the  approach  of  elephants.  We  at  once  retreated  to 
some  rising  ground  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  distant,  as 
our  small  rifles  would  have  been  useless  against  such  heavy  game. 
In  a  short  time  several  elephants  appeared  from  various  portions 


244  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

of  the  covert,  and  one  of  extraordinary  size  moved  slowly  toward 
us  until  he  halted  beneath  a  tall,  spreading  heglik.  This  tree 
must  have  been  nearly  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  was  about 
thirty  feet  high  from  the  ground  to  the  first  branch  ;  it  was  there- 
fore impossible  for  the  elephant  to  gather  the  coveted  fruit.  To 
root  up  such  a  tree  would  have  been  out  of  the  question,  and  I 
should  not  have  thought  that  the  power  of  any  animal  could  have 
affected  it.  The  elephant  paused  for  a  short  time,  as  though 
considering ;  he  then  butted  his  forehead  suddenly  against  the 
trunk.  I  could  not  have  believed  the  effect ;  this  large  tree, 
which  was  equal  in  appearance  to  the  average  size  of  park  timber, 
quivered  in  every  branch  to  such  a  degree,  that  had  a  person 
taken  refuge  in  it,  and  thought  himself  secure  in  the  top,  he 
would  have  found  it  difficult  to  hold  on." 

ON   THE   MARCH. 

BAKER'S  original  intention  had  been  to  establish  a  line  of  forti- 
fied posts,  not  more  than  three  days'  march  apart,  between  Gon- 
dokoro  and  Albert  Lake,  but  his  force  of  twelve  hundred  men 
was  now  reduced  to  five  hundred.  Of  this  number  three  hundred 
were  left  to  guard  the  base  of  supplies  at  Gondokoro,  so  that  he 
was  left  with  only  two  hundred  men  to  make  the  advance  south  ; 
nevertheless,  with  this  small  force  he  started,  January  23,  1872, 
for  the  Albert  Lake.  The  boats  were  loaded  with  necessary  sup- 
plies, and  the  voyage  up  the  river  commenced.  On  the  fourth 
day  out  they  reached  the  first  cataract,  where  a  chief  named 
Bedden  had  promised  two  thousand  carriers  to  convey  the  boats — 
which  were  made  in  sections — and  luggage  to  Lobore.  But  the 
old  scoundrel  disregarded  his  promise,  and  insolently  told  Baker 
that  his  people  had  quit  being  slaves  for  the  Turks  and  certainly 
would  not  enter  the  service  of  Christians.  Traveling  in  Africa 
is  always  attended  with  the  most  provoking  obstacles  ;  Baker  had 
learned  this  from  a  bitter  experience,  and  was  therefore  not  dis- 
couraged, though  greatly  angered,  at  Bedden' s  deceit  and  treach- 
ery. He  determined  to  establish  a  station  here,  and  leave  a 
strong  guard  to  protect  it  and  the  boats,  and  then  push  on 
southward  with  a  picked  force  of  one  hundred  men. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  245 

A  WONDERFUL  RAIN-MAKER. 

THE  greatest  difficulty  was  in  securing  reliable  guides,  with- 
out whom  they  could  not  move ;  but  when  Baker's  arrange- 
ments were  about  completed  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain 
an  excellent  guide  in  the  person  of  an  old  rain-maker.  A  tall  old 
man  of  about  seventy,  or  perhaps  eighty  years,  had  paid  them  a 
visit.  From  his  appearance,  and  the  numerous  spells  hung  about 
his  person,  they  knew  that  he  was  a  rain-maker.  His  face  was 
smeared  with  wood-ashes,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  the  ideal 
demon  in  his  persona!  exterior.  Baker  gave  him  a  blue  shirt  and 
a  glass  of  Marsala  wine,  thus  appealing  at  once  to  his  exterior  and 
interior.  It  is  always  advisable  to  make  friends  of  the  rain- 
makers, as  they  are  regarded  by  the  natives  as  priests,  and  are 
considered  with  a  certain  respect.  He  was  therefore  given 
another  glass  of  wine  :  or,  to  be  correct,  he  drank  it  from  a  tin 
that  had  contained  preserved  provisions.  This  caused  him  to 
blink  his  eyes  and  smack  his  lips,  and  he  grinned  a  ghastly  smile 
of  admiration.  His  wood-ash-smeared  features  relaxed  into  an 
expression  that  denoted  "more  wine."  That  unfailing  key, 
liquor,  had  established  a  confidential  flow  of  conversation.  The 
old  fellow  explained  that  he  knew  the  entire  country,  and  he  had 
no  objection  to  accompany  the  expedition  to  Lobore  for  a  small 
consideration  in  the  shape  of  a  cow.  He  assured  the  people  that 
if  he  were  with  them  the  natives  Would  be  civil  throughout  the 
journey.  Baker  asked  him  whether  he  would  keep  the  rain  away 
during  the  trip,  as  it  would  be  very  unpleasant  should  the  soldiers' 
kits  get  wet.  He  immediately  blew  his  rain-whistle  that  was  sus- 
pended to  his  neck,  and  looked  as  though  no  one  could  longer 
doubt  his  capability.  Baker  then  sent  for  a  German  horn  from  his 
cabin  ;  this  was  a  polished  cow's  horn,  fitted  with  brass,  which 
had  cost  a  shilling :  and  begged  the  old  rain-maker's  acceptance  of 
this  instrument,  which  might  be  perhaps  superior  to  his  whistle. 

The  wine  had  so  far  warmed  his  blood  that  the  ancient  sor- 
cerer was  just  in  that  state  of  good-will  with  all  mankind  which 
made  him  doubly  grateful  for  so  interesting  a  present.  He 
blew  the  horn  again  and  again.  He  grinned  till  the  tears  ran 


246  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

down  his  cheeks,  and  at  once  suspended  the  glittering  toy  around 
his  neck.  "  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  am  a  great  sheik  ;  there  is  no 
rain-maker  so  great  as  I ;  you  will  travel  with  me,  and  this  horn 
shall  keep  you  dry.  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  the  Baris : 
they  won't  molest  you  ;  but  start  as  soon  as  you  can." 

The  old  fellow's  name  was  Lokko,  and  on  February  8th,  the 
expedition  started,  the  rain-maker  leading  the  way,  and  waving 
a  couple  of  thin,  peeled  sticks  at  a  refractory- black  cloud  that 
appeared  determined  to  defy  his  rain-ruling  powers.  A  few  loud 
blasts  upon  the  new  horn,  and  a  good  deal  of  pantomime  and 
gesticulation  on  the  part  of  old  Lokko,  at  length  had  the  desired 
effect ;  the  cloud  went  off  about  its  business  ;  and  Lokko,  having 
given  his  face  an  extra  rub  of  fresh  wood-ashes  before  starting, 
looked  ugly  enough  to  frighten  any  rain-devil  out  of  his  wits. 

A   DANGEROUS    LUMP   OF    IRON. 

OLD  Lokko  proved  to  be  an  excellent  guide,  and  greatly  bene- 
fited the  expedition  by  securing  the  friendship  of  the  people  of 
the  various  villages  they  passed  through,  all  of  whom  seemed  to 
know  and  respect  him.  At  one  of  the  villages  the  natives 
brought  a  great  curiosity,  which  they  had  purchased  from  the 
Baris  of  Belinian.  This  was  no  less  than  a  shell  of  eight-and-a- 
quarter  pounds  that  had  been  fired  at  the  Baris  by  the  cannon, 
but  the  fuse  had  not  ignited.  It  had  been  sold  to  its  present 
owners  as  a  piece  of  iron.  Baker  inquired  the  use  of  such  a 
lump  of  metal  to  them.  "  Oh  !"  they  replied,  "  we  are  going  to 
hammer  it  into  molotes  "  (hoes).  He  explained  that  it  was  a 
loaded  shell,  that  would  explode  and  blow  the  blacksmith  and 
his  people  to  pieces  if  it  were  placed  in  the  fire.  They  went 
away  with  their  shell,  evidently  doubting  the  explanation. 

The  soldiers  were  heavily  loaded  with  their  accoutrements  and 
necessary  luggage,  but  upon  arriving  at  Lobore  five  hundred 
porters  were  engaged,  which  gave  new  spirit  to  the  tired  and  dis- 
couraged men. 

IN   A    NEST    OF    SLAVE     HUNTERS. 

AFTER  a  day's  rest,  the  expedition  moved  on  again  through  a 
lovely  country  in  which  buffaloes  and  antelopes  abounded,  many 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  247 

of  which  Baker  shot,  so  that  he  kept  his  men  supplied  with  meat 
without  having  to  kill  any  of  the  cows  or  sheep  which  he  had 
with  him.  Eighty-five  miles  from  Lobore,  and  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  miles  from  Gondokoro,  lay  Fatiko,  which  was  Abou 
Saood's  headquarters  for  the  slave  trade  of  Central  Africa. 
This  place  was  reached  before  any  knowledge  of  Baker's  coming 
had  been  received  by  the  old  slaver,  therefore  he  was  wholly 
unprepared  for  his  visitor.  Baker  saw  active  preparations  going 
on  for  secreting  the  slaves,  but  it  was  too  late.  Abou  Saood 
came  out  and  greeted  him  in  a  most  cordial  manner,  professing 
great  delight  at  the  visit.  Baker,  of  course,  knew  what  this 
hypocrisy  meant,  but  he  received  the  advances  with  a  similar 
manifestion  of  friendship.  At  the  same  time,  however,  he 
desired  to  show  the  slave  hunter  that  he  had  a  fairly  well  dis- 
ciplined force,  able  to  enforce  such  orders  as  might  be  necessary 
for  the  abolition  of  the  nefarious  trade  which  thrived  at  Fatiko. 
To  do  this,  he  had  his  soldiers  go  through  certain  military 
evolutions,  scale  the  hill  and  give  a  sham  battle.  To  add  effect 
to  the  display,  the  band  played  several  lively  airs,  which  brought 
thousands  of  delighted  natives  to  the  scene.  The  band  was 
composed  of  buglers,  aided  by  cymbals,  a  bass  drum  and  several 
small  drums.  This  would  not  be  regarded  as  a  very  deliciously 
symphonious  aggregation  in  a  civilized  country,  but  it  was 
irresistible  to  the  Africans.  The  natives  are  passionately  fond 
of  music;  and  the  safest  way  to  travel  in  those  wild  countries 
would  be  to  play  the  cornet,  if  possible,  without  ceasing,  which 
would  insure  a  safe  passage.  A  London  organ-grinder  would 
march  through  Central  Africa  followed  by  an  admiring  and 
enthusiastic  crowd,  who,  if  his  tunes  were  lively,  would  form  a 
dancing  escort  of  the  most  untiring  material. 

MUSIC    HATH    CHARMS,  ETC. 

As  the  troops  returned  to  their  quarters,  with  the  band  playing 
rather  lively  airs,  women  were  observed  racing  down  from 
their  villages,  and  gathering  from  all  directions  toward  the 
common  centre.  As  they  approached  nearer,  the  charms  of 
music  were  overpowering,  and,  halting  for  an  instant,  they 


248 


THE   WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


assumed  what  they  considered  the  most  graceful  attitudes,  and 
then  danced  up  to  the  band.  In  a  short  time  the  buglers  could 
hardly  blow  their  instruments  for  laughing  at  the  extraordinary 
effect  of  their  performance.  A  fantastic  crowd  surrounded 
them,  and  every  minute  added  to  their  number.  The  women 
were  entirely  naked  ;  thus  the  effect  of  a  female  crowd,  bounding 
madly  about  as  musical  enthusiasts,  was  very  extraordinary. 
Even  the  babies  were  brought  out  to  dance  :  and  these  infants 


MUSIC-CHARMED   SAVAGES. 


strapped  to  their  mothers'  backs,  and  covered  with  pumpkin 
shells,  like  young  tortoises,  were  jolted  about  without  the  slightest 
consideration  for  the  weakness  of  their  necks  by  their  infatuated 
mothers.  As  usual,  among  all  tribes  in  Central  Africa,  the  old 
women  were  even  more  determined  dancers  than  the  young  girls. 
Several  old  Venuses  were  making  themselves  extremely  ridicu- 
lous, as  they  sometimes  do  in  civilized  countries  when  attempting 
the  allurements  of  younger  days. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  249 

The  men  did  not  share  in  the  dance,  but  squatted  upon  the 
rocks  in  great  numbers  to  admire  the  music,  and  to  witness  the 
efforts  of  their  wives  and  daughters.  The  men  of  Shooli  and 
Fatiko  are  among  the  best  proportioned  in  Africa  ;  without  the 
extreme  height  of  the  Shillooks  or  Dinkas,  they  are  muscular 
and  well  knit,  and  generally  their  faces  are  handsome. 

ESTABLISHING   A    GOVERNMENT. 

INQUIRY  developed. the  fact  that  the  country  had  been  almost 
ruined  by  Abou  Saood,  who  had,  generally  by  various  alliances, 
despoiled  the  people  of  their  cattle  and  ivory  and  made  slaves  of 
nearly  one-half  the  population.  He  had  heard  of  Baker  at  Gon- 
dokoro,  and  knew  the  purposes  of  the  expedition,  but  he  had  no 
doubt  that  by  inciting  the  Baris  to  resist  his  advance  and  fight 
him  constantly,  he  would  be  forced  to  renounce  his  intentions  and 
return  to  Gondokoro.  But  the  old  rascal  had  miscalculated. 
The  chiefs  quickly  tendered  their  allegiance  to  Baker,  who  was 
thus  enabled  to  establish  a  strong  government  under  the  Khedive 
and  enforce  a  suspension,  at  least,  of  the  slave  trade. 

At  Fatiko  he  met  with  several  messengers  from  Unyoro  and 
Uganda,  from  whom  he  heard  that  Kamrasi  had  been  dead  more 
than  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  K«bba  Rega,  a 
man  of  less  cupidity  and  of  very  much  more  intelligence,  who 
was  anxious  to  establish  legitimate  trade  between  his  people  and 
the  whites.  Other  reports  were  to  the  effect  that  Mtesa,  king  of 
Uganda,  had  vastly  improved  through  communication  with  the 
traders  at  Zanzibar.  He  had  become  a  Mohammedan,  and  had 
built  a  mosque.  Even  his  vizier  said  his  daily  prayers  like  a  good 
Mussulman,  and  Mtesa  no  longer  murdered  his  wives.  If  he  cut 
the  throat  of  either  man  or  beast,  it  was  now  done  in  the  name 
of  God,  and  the  king  had  become  quite  civilized,  according  to  the 
report  of  the  Arab  envoys.  He  kept  clerks  who  could  correspond 
by  letters  in  Arabic,  and  he  had  a  regiment  armed  with  a  thou- 
sand guns,  in  addition  to  the  numerous  forces  at  his  command. 

ENROUTE    FOR   UNYORO. 

ABOU  SAOOD'S  power  was  completetely  broken,  his  slaves 
released,  and  his  actions  reported  to  the  Khedive.  All  tL« 


250  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

neighboring  chiefs  made  bitter  complaint  against  the  slave  traders, 
and  begged  the  protection  which  Baker  had  now  afforded.  Feel- 
ing secure  in  the  steps  taken  to  establsh  good  government  at 
Fatiko,  he  placed  a  small  garrison  in  the  village  and  departed  for 
Unyoro,  which  lay  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  to  the  south. 
Enough  porters  were  engaged  to  insure  a  rapid  conveyance  of  the 
luggage,  if  none  deserted,  which  was  always  a  probability.  It 
was  in  the  latter  part  of  March  when  the  expedition  left  Fatiko, 
when  spring  was  being  ushered  in  and  all  the  world  seemed 
bursting  with  gladness.  The  country  was  one  of  extraordinary 
beauty  and  large  game  could  be  seen  in  all  directions.  Antelopes 
were  especially  numerous,  so  that  each  day  was  spent  by  Baker 
in  glorious  sport,  yielding  fresh  meat  continually  for  all  the  men. 
But  as  the  cavalcade  reached  the  Unyoro  country  they  found  a 
remarkable  change  ;  spring  had  invested  the  earth  with  beautiful 
verdure,  and  nature  seemed  glad,  but  here  were  the  landmarks  of 
war  and  desolation,  burned  and  deserted  villages,  fallow  fields 
and  poverty.  When  Kamrasi  died,  he  left  a  disputed  inheritance 
to  his  two  sons,  Kabba  Mero  and  Kabba  Rega,  who  at  once  began 
a  bitter  struggle  for  the  succession.  Rionga,  Kamrasi' s  brother 
and  most  bitter  enemy,  was  still  alive  and  as  active  as  ever  in 
fighting  the  Unyoros.  Abou  Saood  had  in  the  meantine  espoused 
the  cause  of  each  in  turn,  as  it  suited  his  purposes  best,  and 
plundered  them  all.  There  had  been  incessant  fighting  for  more 
than  a  year,  during  which  time  nearly  everything  in  the  country 
was  destroyed,  and  many  of  the  people  were  starving  while  mur- 
der and  pillage  ran  riot.  But  the  famished  condition  of  the 
country  was  not  without  benefit  to  Baker,  as  it  enabled  him  to 
enlist  a  number  of  the  natives  as  irregular  soldiers  and  to  form 
posts  that  would  open  communication  with  Fatiko. 

A   VISIT   FROM   KABBA   REGA. 

HE  halted  within  a  short  distance  of  Kabba  Rega's  palace,  and 
sent  messengers  ahead  to  communicate  with  the  king  ;  but  after 
waiting  in  vain  several  days  for  an  invitation  to  enter  his  capital, 
Masindi,  Baker  broke  camp  and  after  a  journey  of  seventeen 
miles  through  the  forest,  came  upon  the  village,  which  is  situated 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


251 


on  high,  undulating  land,  bounded  on  the  west  by  a  range  of 
mountains  bordering  the  Albert  N'yanza,  which  is  not  more  than 
fifty  miles  distant.  He  called  on  the  king  directly  after  his 
arrival,  and  found  him  sitting  on  a  divan  within  a  laro-e  and 


neatly  constructed  hut.  He  was  well  clad  in  beautifully  made 
bark-cloth,  striped  with  black;  his  person  was  also  very  neat, 
and  his  age  not  more  than  twenty  years.  Baker  explained  to 
him  that  his  mission  was  to  take  possession  of  the  country,  which 


252  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

would  thus  be  annexed  to  Egypt,  and  to  not  only  free  all  the 
slaves  he  could  find,  but  also  to  break  up  the  slave  trade  and  give 
peace  and  prosperity  to  the  country.  To  all  these  reforms  Kabba 
Rega  gave  his  assent  and  promised  such  aid  as  he  could  command. 

On  the  next  day  the  king  arranged  to  return  the  visit,  and  in 
order  to  give  the  royal  savage  an  impressive  reception,  the  troops, 
in  bright  uniforms,  were  arranged  in  line  on  either  side  of  the 
path  by  which  the  king  would  arrive.  The  sight  of  so  many 
soldiers,  armed  with  guns  and  bayonets,  so  alarmed  his  majesty, 
however,  that  he  remained  in  his  palace  and  sent  excuses. 
Annoyed  by  the  delay,  Baker  ordered  the  trumpets  sounded, 
which  so  frightened  the  king  and  his  courtiers  that  they  construed 
it  into  an  immediate  summons. 

In  a  few  minutes  a  great  din  of  horns,  drums  and  whistles 
announced  his  approach,  and  he  was  observed  walking  down  the 
road  with  an  extraordinary  gait.  He  was  taking  enormous 
strides,  as  though  caricaturing  the  walk  of  a  giraffe.  This  was 

O  O  <-J 

supposed  to  be  an  imitation  of  Mtesa,  the  king  of  Uganda,  who, 
in  his  younger  days,  attempted  to  walk  like  a  lion. 

Kabba  Rega  thus  stalked  along,  followed  by  his  great  chiefs, 
Kittakara,  Matonse,  Rahonka,  Quonga,  and  a  number  of  others. 
Upon  arrival  opposite  the  band,  the  bugles  and  drums  suddenly 
commenced  with  such  a  clash  of  cymbals  that  he  seemed  rather 
startled,  and  entered  the  tent  in  the  most  undignified  manner, 
with  an  air  of  extreme  shyness,  half-concealed  by  audacity.  He 
was  trembling  with  nervous  anxiety,  and  with  some  hesitation 
took  his  seat  upon  the  divan  that  had  been  prepared  for  him. 
His  principal  chiefs  sat  upon  skins  and  carpets  arranged  upon 
the  ground. 

A  crowd  of  about  two  thousand  people  had  accompanied  him, 
making  a  terrific  noise  with  whistles,  horns  and  drums.  These 
were  now  silenced,  and  the  troops  formed  a  guard  around  the 
tent  to  keep  the  rnob  at  a  respectful  distance.  Every  now  and 
then  several  men  of  Kabba  Rega's  body-guard  rushed  into  the 
crowd  and  laid  about  them  with  bludgeons  five  feet  long,  hitting 
to  the  right  and  left.  This  always  chased  the  crowd  away  for  a 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  253 

few  minutes,  antil,  by  degrees,  they  resumed  their  position. 
Everybody  was  dressed  up  for  a  grand  occasion,  mostly  in  new 
clothes  of  bars-cloth,  and  many  were  in  skins  of  wild  animals, 
with  their  heads  fantastically  ornamented  with  the  horns  of  goats 
or  antelopes.  The  sorcerers  were  an  important  element.  These 
rascals,  who  are  the  curse  of  the  country,  were,  as  usual,  in  a 
curious  masquerade,  with  fictitious  beards,  manufactured  out  of  a 
number  of  bushy  cow-tails. 

Kabba  Rega  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  and  of 
extremely  light  complexion.  His  eyes  were  very  large,  but  pro- 
jected in  a  disagreeable  manner.  A  broad  but  low  forehead  and 
high  cheek  bones,  added  to  a  large  mouth,  with  rather  prominent 
but  exceedingly  white  teeth,  complete  the  description  of  his  face. 
His  hands  were  beautifully  shaped,  and  his  finger-nails  were 
carefully  pared  and  scrupulously  clean.  The  nails  of  his  toes 
were  equally  we'l  attended  to.  He  wore  sandals  of  raw  buffalo- 
hide,  but  neatly  formed,  ana  turned  up  round  the  edges. 

SUSPICIOUS. 

THE  young  king  did  not  appear  comfortable,  but  he  was  bold 
enough  to  ask  Baker's  assistance  in  expelling  Rionga.  Baker 
tried  \o  turn  the  conversation,  and  offered  him  a  handsome 
Tn'-kish  pipe,  trimmed  with  blue  silk  and  gold  ;  but  the  king 
said  he  did  not  smoke  for  fear  it  would  make  his  teeth  black. 
Coffee  and  sherbet  were  then  handed  him,  but  he  declined  both, 
tnd  insisted  upon  two  of  his  chiefs  drinking  the  whole,  and 
luring  the  operation  he  watched  them  attentively,  as  though  in 
expectation  of  some  evil  effect. 

The  young  king  renewed  his  solicitation  for  assistance  to  cap- 
ture or  kill  Rionga,  declaring  that  no  improvement  in  the  country 
could  take  place  until  the  rebel  was  exterminated  ;  but  with  equal 
persistence  Baker  refused  to  consider  the  proposition,  and  in 
order  to  change  the  unpleasant  subject  again,  he  ordered  in  a 
metal  box  that  was  filled  with  an  assortment  of  presents,  includ- 
ing a  watch.  The  new  toy  was  ticking  loudly,  and  it  was,  of 
course,  handed  round  and  held  to  the  ear  of  each  chief. 

Kabba  Rega  said  he  knew  Baker  was  a  ^reat  friend  of  his 


254  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

father,  Kamrasi,  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  though  his 
father  was  dead  the  son  was  still  living  ;  therefore  all  the  presents 
intended  for  Kamrasi  might  be  handed  over  to  himself. 

A  large  musical  box,  with  drums  and  bells,  was  then  exhibited. 
This  was  one  of  the  best  instruments  of  its  kind,  and  it  played 
a  remarkably  good  selection  of  airs,  which  quite  charmed  the 
audience.  Among  the  presents  given  to  Kahba  Regu  was  a  small 
musical  snuff-box.  This  was  now  wound  up  and  exhibited,  but 
the  greedy  young  fellow  at  once  asked,  "Why  don't  you  give 
me  the  large  box?" 

Baker  gave  the  royal  beggar  many  presents,  and  then  tried  to 
explain  the  importance  to  him  of  opening  up  the  country  to 
legitimate  commerce,  but  to  all  his  arguments  Kabba  Rega  replied  : 
"  You  were  my  father's  friend  and  brother:  your  wife  was  the 
same.  You  drove  back  the  slave-hunters  under  Mohamed  by 
hoisting  your  flag.  Since  you  left  us,  the  slave-hunters  have 
returned  and  ruined  the  country.  My  father  is  dead,  but  Rionga 
is  still  alive.  Now  you  are  my  father,  and  your  wife  is  my 
mother:  will  you  allow  your  son's  enemy  to  live?" 

It  was  quite  useless  to  argue  with  this  hardened  young  bar- 
barian, who  had  not  an  idea  of  mercy  in  his  disposition.  As  he 
had  murdered  his  own  relatives  by  the  foulest  treachery,  so  he 
would  of  course  destroy  any  person  who  stood  in  his  way. 

AN    EXHIBITION    OF    BUFFOONS. 

ONCE  more  it  was  necessary  to  change  the  conversation.  A 
number  of  buffoons  that  were  kept  about  the  court  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  young  king  now  came  forward.  The  crowd  was 
driven  back,  and  an  open  space  having  been  thus  cleared,  they 
performed  a  curious  theatrical  scene,  followed  by  a  general  fight 
with  clubs,  until  one  man,  having  knocked  down  all  the  party, 
remained  the  victor.  The  scene  terminated  with  an  act  of  dis- 
gusting indecency,  which  created  roars  of  laughter  from  the 
immense  crowd,  who  evidently  considered  this  was  the  great  joke 
of  the  piece. 

Kabba  Rega  now  took  leave,  and  retired  as  he  had  come,  with 
drums,  whistles,  horns,  and  flageolets,  making  a  horrid  din. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  255 

TORTURES    INFLICTED    BY    SLAVE-HUNTERS. 

AFTER  the  departure  of  the  king,  Baker  engaged  several  of 
the  chiefs  in  conversation,  that  he  might  learn  more  of  the  prac- 
tices of  the  slave-hunters,  and  general  difficulties  with  which  the 
Government  had  to  contend.  Several  of  these  assured  him  that 
Abou  Saood's  people  had  been  in  the  habit  of  torturing  people 
to  extract  from  them  the  secret  of  the  spot  in  which  their  corn 
was  concealed.  Throughout  Unyoro  there  were  no  granaries 
exposed,  as  the  country  had  been  ravaged  by  civil  war ;  thus  all 
corn  was  buried  in  deep  holes  specially  arranged  for  that  purpose. 
When  the  slave-hunters  sought  for  corn,  they  were  in  the  habit 
of  catching  the  villagers  and  holding  them  down  on  the  mouth 
of  a  large  earthen  water-jar  filled  with  glowing  embers  until  they 
were  nearly  roasted.  If  this  torture  did  not  extract  the  secret, 
they  generally  cut  the  sufferer's  throat  to  terrify  his  companions, 
who  would  then  divulge  the  position  of  the  hidden  stores  to 
avoid  a  similar  fate.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  the  brutality  of 
these  brigands,  who,  thus  relieved  from  the  fear  of  a  govern- 
ment, exhibit  their  unbridled  passions  by  every  horrible  crime. 

A   ROYAL   FUNERAL. 

AMONG  other  singular  things,  the  chiefs  gave  Baker  a  graphic 
account  of  the  royal  funeral  that  had  taken  place  when  Kamrasi 
was  interred. 

When  a  king  of  Unyoro  dies,  the  body  is  exposed  upon  a 
frame-work  of  green  wood,  like  a  gigantic  gridiron,  over  a  slow 
fire.  It  is  thus  gradually  dried,  until  it  resembles  an  over-roasted 
hare.  Thus  mummified,  it  is  wrapped  in  new  bark-cloth,  and 
the  body  lies  in  state  within  a  large  house  built  specially  for  its 
reception.  The  sons  fight  for  the  throne.  The  civil  war  may 
last  for  years,  but  during  this  period  of.  anarchy  the  late  king's 
body  lies  still  unburied.  At  length,  when,  victory  has  decided  in 
favor  of  one  of  his  sons,  the  conqueror  visits  the  hut  in  which 
his  father's  body  lies  in  state.  He  approaches  the  corpse,  and 
standing  by  its  side  sticks  the  but-end  of  his  spear  in  the  ground, 
and  leaves  it  thus  fixed  near  the  right  hand  of  the  dead  king. 
This  is  symbolical  of  victory. 


256  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  son  now  ascends  the  throne,  and  the  funeral  of  his  fathet 
must  be  his  first  duty.  An  immense  pit  or  trench  is  dug,  capable 
of  containing  several  hundred  people.  This  pit  is  neatly  lined 
with  new  bark-cloths.  Several  wives  of  the  late  king  are  seated 
together  at  the  bottom,  to  bear  upon  their  knees  the  body  of 
their  departed  lord.  The  night  previous  to  the  funeral,  the 
king's  own  regiment,  or  body-guard,  surround  many  dwellings 
or  villages,  and  seize  the  people  indiscriminately  as  they  issue 
from  their  doors  in  the  early  morning.  These  captives  are 
brought  to  the  pit's  mouth.  Their  legs  and  armc  are  broken 
with  clubs,  and  they  are  pushed  into  the  pit  on  the  top  of  the 
king's  body  and  his  wives.  An  immese  din  of  drums,  horns, 
flageolets,  and  whistles,  mingled  with  the  ye'.ls  of  a  frantic  crowd, 
drown  the  shrieks  of  the  sufferers,  upon  whom  the  earth  is  shov- 
eled and  stamped  down  by  thousands  of  cruel  fanatics,  who  dance 
and  jump  upon  the  loose  mould  so  as  to  force  it  in«to  a  compact 
mass,  through  which  the  victims  of  this  horrid  sacrifice  cannot 
grope  their  way,  the  precaution  having  been  taken  to  break  the 
bones  of  their  arms  and  legs.  At  length  the  mangled  mass  is 
buried  and  trodden  down  beneath  a  tumulus  of  earth,  and  all  is 
still. 

When  the  funeral  rites  of  Kamrasi  were  over,  Kabba  Rega 
ascended  the  throne,  and  succeeded  to  all  his  father's  wives,  with 
the  exception  of  his  own  mother.  This  is  the  invariable  custom 
in  Unyoro.  The  throne  is  composed  partly  of  copper  and  of 
wood.  It  is  an  exceedingly  small  and  ancient  piece  of  furniture, 
that  has  been  handed  down  for  many  generations,  and  is  consid- 
ered to  be  a  cojoor,  or  talisman.  There  is  also  an  ancient  drum, 
which  is  regarded  with  reverence,  as  something  uncanny ;  and 
the  two  articles  are  always  jealously  guarded  by  special  soldiers, 
and  are  seldom  used.  Should  the  throne  be  lost  or  stolen,  the 
authority  of  the  king  -would  disappear,  together  with  the  talis- 
man, and  disorder  would  reign  throughout  the  country  until  the 
precious  object  should  be  restored. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  257 


CHAPTEK  XV. 

TRAFFIC    IN    SLAVES. 

BAKER  at  least  partially  secured  the  confidence  of  Kabha  Rega, 
and  was  resolved  to  begin  his  reforms  by  ordering  the  immediate 
release  of  all  slaves heldat  Fatiko,  Fabbo,  Faloro,  and  Farragenia, 
supposed  to  number  about  one  thousand  women  and  children.  At 
the  same  time  that  Kabba  Rega  and  his  people  were  eager  for  the 
restoration  of  the  numerous  women  and  children  that  had  been 
stolen  from  Unyoro,  they  were  themselves  great  slave-dealers. 

In  Unyoro  there  was  an  established  value  for  healthy  young 
girls.  Such  a  person  could  be  bought  for  one  first-class  elephant 
tusk  or  a  new  shirt. 

In  the  country  of  Uganda,  where  the  natives  are  exceedingly 
clever  as  tailors  and  furriers,  needles  are  in  great  demand.  A 
handsome  girl  could  be  purchased  for  thirteen  English  needles  ! 
Thus  for  slave-traders  there  existed  an  excellent  opening  for  a 
profitable  business.  A  girl  might  be  bought  for  thirteen  needles 
or  a  new  shirt  in  Uganda,  to  be  exchanged  in  Unyoro  for  an 
elephant's  tusk  that  would  bring  $100  or  $150  in  England,  and 
the  poor  slave  never  leave  Central  Africa,  nor  the  dealer  in  ivory 
be  aware  that  he  was  encouraging  the  slave-trade. 

Abou  Saood's  brigands  had  been  far  too  lawless  even  for  this 
innocent  traffic,  and  in  default  of  the  merchandise  necessary  for 
such  profitable  exchanges,  they  had  found  it  more  convenient  to 
kidnap  the  young  girls,  which  saved  much  trouble  in  bargaining 
for  needles  and  shirts. 

Girls  are  always  purchased,  if  required  as  wives.  It  would  be 
quite  impossible  to  obtain  a  wife  for  love  from  any  tribe. 
"Blessed  is  he  that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them."  A  large 
family  of  girls  is  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  father,  as  he  sells 
each  daughter  for  twelve  or  fifteen  cows  to  her  suitor.  Every 
girl  is  certain  to  marry  ;  thus  a  dozen  daughters  will  bring  a  for- 
tune of  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  cows  to  their  parents  in  all 
17 


258  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

pastoral  countries.  In  Unyoro  cattle  arc  scarce,  and  they  belong 
to  the  king;  therefore  the  girls  are  purchased  for  various  com- 
modities— such  as  brass-coil  bracelets,  bark-cloths,  cotton  shirts, 
ivory,  etc. 

A   LOVING    FATHER. 

SLAVERY  seems  to  be  a  natural  institution  of  Africa.  It  is 
found  almost  everywhere  in  that  miserable  country.  Baker  re- 
lates that,  while  detained  at  Gondokoro,  he  had  a  conversation 
with  an  intelligent  chief  of  one  of  the  Bari  tribes  on  the  subject 
of  the  great  curse,  and  the  old  chief  seemed  deeply  moved  as  he 
depicted  its  horrors  and  expressed  his  determination  to  suppress 
the  traffic  in  human  beings.  Many  of  the  chief's  women  and 
children  had  been  carried  off  by  a  neighboring  tribe,  and  in  the 
most  interesting  portion  of  the  interview  he  suddenly  proposed, 
with  a  burst  of  enthusiasm,  that  Baker  should  join  him  with  his 
men,  and  capture  all  the  women  and  children  that  belonged  to  his 
enemies  !  He  regarded  slavery  as  wrong  only  when  it  affected 
himself. 

Baker  continued  the  conversation,  and  the  good  old  man  was 
evidently  touched  at  the  allusion  to  the  forcible  separation  of 
children  from  their  parents. 

"  Have  you  a  son?"  he  asked. 

"  My  sons  are,  unfortunately,  dead,"  replied  Baker, 

"Indeed!"  exclaimed  the  chief.  "I  have  a  son — an  only 
son.  He  is  a  nice  boy — a  very  good  boy  ;  about  so  high  (show- 
ing his  length  upon  the  handle  of  his  spear).  I  should  like  you 
to  see  my  boy — he  is  very  thin  now :  but  if  he  should  remain 
with  you  he  Would  soon  get  fat.  He's  a  really  nice  boy,  and 
always  hungry.  You'll  be  so  fond  of  him  ;  he'll  eat  from  morn- 
ing till  night,  and  still  he'll  be  hungry.  You'll  like  him  amaz- 
ingly ;  he'll  give  you  no  trouble  if  you  only  give  him  plenty  to 
eat.  He'll  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep,  and  he'll  wake  up  hungry 
again.  He's  a  good  boy,  indeed  ;  and  he's  my  only  son.  Ttt 
xell  him  to  you  for  a  molote"  (native  iron  spade). 

Baker  was  disgusted  with  the  result  of  his  sermon  on  the  evils 
of  slavery.  This  obtuse  old  barbarian,  after  listening  with  much 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  259 

apparent  emotion  to  the  enumeration  of  the  horrors  of  the  sys- 
tem, had  deliberately  offered  him  his  son — his  only  son — in 
exchange  for  a  spade  ! — and  Baker  adds  that  this  young  niggo" 
knave  of  spades  was  warranted  to  remain  always  hungry! 

A    WONDERFUL    ENTERTAINMENT. 

BAKER  had  tried  every  argument  possible  to  convince  Kabba 
Rega  that  nothing  would  bring  peace  and  prosperity  to  his  coun- 
try so  quickly  as  commercial  intercourse  with  Arabian  merchants, 
who  had  many  beautiful  and  excellent  things  to  exchange  for 
ivory.  But  argument  was  never  very  effective  with  negroes, 
even  in  a  state  of  civilization,  and  much  less  among  savages. 
Therefore,  to  convince  the  king,  resort  had  to  be  made  to  some- 
thing that  would  excite  his  admiration.  This  Baker  accomplished 
by  carefully  arranging  to  show,  with  all  possible  advantage,  all  the 
various  articles  he  had  brought  with  him  for  the  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing legitimate  barter,  such  as  tin  plates,  crockery,  looking- 
glasses,  knives,  Indian  scarfs,  handkerchiefs,  blankets  of  bright 
colors,  clocks,  tin  whistles,  and  an  immense  assortment  of  toys, 
all  of  which  delighted  the  king  amazingly,  and  he  immediately 
wanted  the  entire  stock.  Among  other  things  was  a  magnetic 
battery  which  was  explained  to  him.  The  king  at  once  ordered 
all  his  chiefs  to  submit  to  a  shock,  at  the  same  time  telling  Baker 
to  give  it  to  them  strong,  and  as  the  savages  writhed  under  the 
powerful  current  he  fairly  roared  with  laughter.  But  nothing 
could  induce  him  to  receive  a  shock  himself. 

He  now  requested  permission  to  see  the  private  apartments  of 
Baker  and  his  wife,  and  he  and  four  of  his  chiefs  and  the  inter- 
preter were  admitted.  The  first  exclamation  upon  entering  the 
room  was  one  of  suprise,  "Wah!  Wah  !  "  — and  Kabba  Rega 
and  his  chiefs  covered  their  mouths  with  one  hand,  according  to 
their  custom  when  expressing  astonishment. 

The  lar^e  looking-glasses  were  miracles.     Kabba  Rega  discov- 

O  C5    C  <= 

ered  a  great  number  of  Kabba  Regas  in  the  endless  reflections  of 

O  ^  CJ 

the  two  opposite  mirrors.  This  was  a  great  wonder  and  attracted 
particular  attention.  It  was  then  discovered  that  every  person 
was  multiplied  in  a  similiar  manner.  This  was  of  course  "  cojoor" 


£60  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

(magic).  It  was  difficult  to  draw  them  away  from  the  looking" 
glass,  but  at  length  the  pictures  were  examined.  The  Queen 
was  exhibited  and  explained,  her  subjects  being  described  as 
numerous  as  the  white  ants  in  UnA'oro.  One  of  the  pictures  was 
a  three-quarter  face,  and  they  immediately  asked  why  the  lady 
had  only  one  ear.  The  same  question  of  unity  was  asked  respect- 
ing the  leg  of  a  man  on  horseback — why  he  had  only  one  leg. 

Kubba  Rega  now  asked  why  the  women  in  various  portraits 
all  looked  at  him  ;  wherever  he  moved  their  eyes  followed  him. 
His  chiefs  discovered  that  the  faces  in  the  pictures  were  also 
looking  at  them  ;  and  the  eyes  followed  them,  whether  they 
moved  to  the  right  or  left!  This  was  "  cojoor,"  which  at 
first  made  them  feel  uncomfortable.  One  of  Mrs.  Baker's 
female  servants  would  not  remain  by  herself  in  this  room,  for 
fear  of  "  the  eyes  that  stared  at  her." 

The  musical  box  played  various  delightful  airs,  and  Kabba 
Rega  remarked  that  it  would  be  more  convenient  than  an  instru- 
ment which  required  the  study  of  learning,  as  "  you  might  set 
this  going  at  night  to  play  you  to  sleep,  when  you  were  too  drunk 
to  play  an  instrument  yourself,  even  if  you  knew  how  to  do  it." 
This  was  his  idea  of  happiness,  to  go  to  sleep  drunk,  assisted  by 
the  strains  of  self-playing  melody. 

Mrs.  Baker's  trinkets  were  begged  for,  but  it  was  explained 
that  such  things  were  private  property  belonging  to  the  Sit 
(lady).  "  The  Sit !  the  Sit !  the  Sit !  "  the  young  cub  peevishly 
exclaimed  ;  "everything  that  is  worth  having  seems  to  belong  to 
the  Sit!" 

KABBA  REGA'S  SATANIC  ESCORT. 

EVERYWHERE  the  king  went  he  was  escorted  by  his  body- 
guards, called  "  Bonosoora,"  who  looked  and  acted  more  like 
incarnate  devils  than  human  beings.  They  were  the  same  as  the 
"  satanic  guard  "  furnished  by  Kamrasi  to  Baker  on  his  first  trip, 
to  guard  him  from  Unyoro  to  Lake  Albert,  described  on  page  189 
of  this  book.  The  natives  were  in  the  habit  of  collecting  in  large 
crowds  around  the  camp,  where  they  stood  in  open-mouthed 
wonder  watching  all  the  proceedings.  Now  and  then  great  ex- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


261 


citement  would  be  produced  by  a  rush  of  the  "bonosoora" 
among  the  crowd,  whom  they  belabored  and  chased,  generally 
possessing  themselves  of  the  best  garments  of  those  who  were 
captured,  with  which  they  returned  to  their  quarters  as  lawful 
prizes.  This  daring  system  of  thieving  was  regarded  as  great  *un 


'by  all  .ihose  members  of  the  crowd  who  had  escaped ;  and  the 
unfortunates  who  had  been  reduced  to  nudity  by  the  loss  of  their 
garments  were  jeered  and  ridiculed  by  the  mob  with  true  Unyoro 
want  of  charity.     These  bonosoora  were  an  extraordinary  collet 
tioa  of  scoundrels. 


262  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  exact  number  that  formed  Kabba  Rega's  celebrated  regi- 
ment of  blackguards  could  not  be  learned,  but  there  were  evi- 
dently above  one  thousand  men  who  constantly  surrounded  him, 
and  gained  their  living  by  pillaging  others. 

Any  slave  who  ran  away  from  his  master  might  find  an  asylum 
if  he  volunteered  to  enlist  in  the  bonosoora.  Every  man  who  had 
committed  some  crime,  or  who  could  not  pay  his  debts,  could 
find  a  refuge  by  devoting  himself  to  the  personal  care  of  the 
young  king,  and  enrolling  within  the  ranks  of  the  royal  guards. 
The  general  character  of  these  ruffians  may  be  easily  imagined. 
They  lounged  away  their  time,  and  simply  relieved  the  monotony 
of  their  existence  by  robbing  passers-by  of  anything  that  attracted 
their  cupidity.  Hardly  a  night  passed  without  some  person 
being  murdered  by  these  people,  who  would  always  kill  a  man 
after  dark  unless  he  yielded  up  his  property  without  resistance. 
The  great  number  of  vultures  that  continually  hovered  over  the 
country  were  dreadful  proofs  of  the  hidden  horrors  that  lay  in 
the  tall  grass.  On  several  occasions  bodies  were  found  lying  in 
the  high  grass,  neatly  picked  to  the  bone,  which  had  only 
recently  died. 

TREACHERY  AND  A  GREAT  BATTLE. 

KABBA  REGA  was  even  more  whimsical  and  treacherous  in  his 
nature  than  his  capricious  father,  Kamrasi,had  been,  contrary  to 
the  reports  which  had  been  received  at  Fatiko  giving  him  a  gen- 
erous and  just  character.  The  promises  made  by  Baker,  to 
bestow  all  the  rich  presents  he  had  brought  upon  the  young  king, 
if  he  should  conduct  himself  properly,  did  not  aid  materially  in 
establishing  a  friendly  or  confidential  feeling.  Kabba  Rega  con- 
tinued mistrustful,  and  at  times  positively  threatening,  notunfre- 
quently  disobeying  Baker's  orders,  and  at  other  times  encouraging 
the  natives  to  steal  from  the  soldiers.  His  treacherous  acts  led 
Baker  to  pay  more  regard  to  the  security  of  his  position,  and  a 
fort  was  built  which  afforded  some  protection  against  the  hordes 
of  savages  who  might,  at  any  time,  attack  him.  At  length  the 
supply  of  food  began  to  fail,  although  Kabba  Rega  had  faithfully 
promised  to  provide  liberally  for  the  soldiers.  Baker  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  263 

compelled  to  complain  to  the  king  of  his  remissness,  whereupon 
he  expressed  great  regret  that  the  supply  of  corn  was  very  small 
just  then,  but  promised  that  a  great  quantity  should  be  delivered 
the  next  day,  together  with  such  other  provisions  as  might  be 
needed.  With  many  assurances  of  regard  he  begged  Baker  to 
accept  five  jars  of  plantain,  cider  for  the  soldiers,  and  at  the  same 
time  again  expressed  his  sorrow  that  he  could  not  at  once  send 
them  several  loads  of  corn.  Baker  had  the  cider  conveyed  to 
the  camp,  and  soon  after  the  soldiers  were  regaling  themselves 
with  the  pleasant  beverage.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  fully  one- 
half  of  the  entire  garrison  was  down,  some  writhing  in  agony 
and  others  wholly  unconscious.  Baker  at  once  knew  that  the 
soldiers  had  been  poisoned  by  drinking  the  cider,  and  with  all 
possible  haste  he  opened  his  medicine- chest  and  commenced 
dosing  the  patients  with  a  decoction  of  mustard,  salt  and  water, 
and  following  this  with  a  dessert  spoonful  of  water  containing 
three  grains  of  tartar  emetic.  "While  thus  employed  the  sentries 
were  doubled  in  anticipation  of  an  attack,  for  it  was  to  be 
expected  that  the  poisoning  would  be  followed  by  some  other 
hostile  act.  However,  there  was  no  attack  then,  and  by  night 
the  men  were  all  recovered. 

Baker  sent  his  most  faithful  adjutant  to  Motonse,  Kabba 
Rega's  chief  minister,  to  ask  for  some  explanation  of  the  king's 
act,  but  the  result  was  most  deplorable,  for  the  adjutant  was 
treacherously  murdered,  as  was  also  a  soldier  who  was  sent  to 
accompany  him.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  general  attack. 
Sharpshooters  had  been  stationed  in  the  grass  by  Kabba  Rega  to 
shoot  Baker,  but  though  they  fired  at  him  several  times  before 
he  could  reach  the  fort,  none  of  the  shots  struck  him,  though 
his  body  servant  was  killed. 

The  soldiers  quickly  formed  in  line  at  the  bugle  call,  and  sallied 
out  of  the  fort  at  double-quick.  Fire  was  applied  to  the  grass, 
while  rockets  were  shot  into  the  thatch-covered  houses  of  the 
natives,  and  soon  the  entire  town  was  enveloped  in  flames.  Many 
of  the  natives  had  guns,  but  they  were  ineffective  in  their  hands, 
while  Baker's  trained  riflemen  mowed  down  the  treacherous 


264  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

savages  by  scores.  Fighting  continued  until  nearly  midnight, 
when  the  natives  retreated,  leaving  Masindi,  the  capital  of 
Unyoro,  in  smoking  ruins. 

The  treacherous  Kabba  Rega  had  made  good  his  escape,  but  he 
sent  back  messengers  declaring  that  the  cider  had  been  poisoned 
by  his  minister  without  his  knowledge,  anc?  begging  for  the 
restoration  of  friendly  relations.  So  persistently  did  the  king 
declare  his  innocence  that,  half-trusting  him,  Baker  sent  the 
large  music-box  by  two  men  as  a  present,  but  the  men  were 
foully  massacred,  and  following  this  base  treachery  several 
attempts  were  made  to  fire  the  houses  in  the  camp. 

CUTTING   THEIR   WAY   THROUGH. 

BAKER  saw  that  if  they  remained  at  the  fort  they  must  cer- 
tainly starve,  for  though  they  could  resist  all  the  negroes  in 
Africa  should  they  attack  them  in  "heir  fortified  position,  yet 
provisions  could  only  be  obtained  by  foraging,  which  would  be 
exceedingly  dangerous,  if  not  impossible,  by  reason  of  the  over- 
powering numbers  of  the  savages.  Therefore,  to  secure  relief, 
he  resolved  upon  forning  an  alliance  with  Rionga,  who  was 
eighty  miles  to  the  south,  and  to  do  this  it  would  be  necessary  to 
break  camp  and  march  through  a  line  of  hostile  savages  who 
would  contest  every  mile  of  the  road.  It  was  now  the  rainy 
season,  and  the  grass  wa?  eight  feet  high  in  many  places,  afford- 
ing excellent  means  for  ambush,  and  diminishing  very  much  the 
superiority  of  guns  over  spears.  The  retreat  was  begun  by 
firing  the  fort  and  buildings,  everything  being  first  prepared  for 
as  swift  marching  as  possible.  Every  man  had  his  instructions 
how  to  act  in  case  of  attack,  and  was  impressed  with  the  necessity 
of  maintaining  a  solid  line,  which  must,  under  no  circumstances, 
be  suffered  to  be  broken  by  the  enemy.  There  were  one  hundred 
soldiers  and  about  seventy  carriers — not  a  large  force,  but  their 
armament  was  splendid,  having  generally  Spencer  rifles,  revolvers 
and  swords.  Their  movement  was  retarded,  however,  by  the 
fact  that  they  had  to  drive  seventy-five  cows  before  them,  for 
food,  and  each  man  had  to  carry  a  load  of  nearly  fifty  pounds  in 
addition  to  his  arms. 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


265 


On  the  first  night's  march  little  trouble  was  experienced,  only 
a  few  lances  being  thrown,  as  the  retreat  was  begun  so  unexpect- 
edly to  the  natives  that  scarcely  any  of  them  knew  it  until  the 
next  morning.  Then,  however,  as  Baker  anticipated,  thousands 


of  savages  were  on  his  trail,  and  they  soon  surrounded  him.  The 
grass  hid  them  from  view,  and  lances  began  flying  as  if  dis- 
charged from  the  ground.  The  guide  was  the  first  to  fall,  a  lance 
striking  in  a  fleshy  portion  of  his  arm  and  passing  through  his 
body  protruded  on  the  opposite  side.  The  savage  who  threw  it 


266  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

rushed  toward  his  victim  to  recover  the  weapon,  but  the  wounded 
man  still  had  strength  left  to  draw  a  revolver  and  kill  his  assail- 
ant. The  enemy  was  dispersed  by  a  raking  fire,  but  less  than  a 
mile  beyond,  when  descending  a  hill  in  close  order,  an  uproar 
broke  out  suddenly  as  if  all  the  demons  of  hell  had  resolved  upon 
a  fight.  Yells,  screams,  drums,  horns,  whistles,  from  many 
thousands  of  concealed  savages  for  an  instant  startled  the  troops. 
Says  Baker:  "A  tremendous  rush  in  the  grass  gave  notice  of  a 
general  attack  from  an  immensely  powerful  ambuscade.  The 
officers  did  their  duty.  Every  load  was  upon  the  ground,  and  in 
a  moment  alternate  files  were  facing  to  the  right  and  left,  kneel- 
ing just  as  the  lances  began  to  fly  across  the  path.  The  bugles 
rang  out  '  fire,'  and  the  fight  commenced  on  our  side.  I  saw 
several  lances  pass  within  an  inch  or  two  of  my  wife's  head  ; 
luckily  we  were  kneeling  on  one  knee.  The  file-firing  was 
extremely  good,  and  the  Sniders  rattled  without  intermission. 
The  grass  was  so  dense  that  simple  buck-shot  would  be  reduced 
to  a  very  limited  range,  although  excellent  at  close  quarters. 
The  servants  quickly  handed  the  elephant  breech-loaders,  and  a 
double  shot  to  the  right  and  left  was  followed  by  the  loud  explo- 
sion of  the  picrate  of  potash  shells  against  some  unseen  object, 
either  men  or  trees.  A  quick  repetition  of  the  picrate  shells 
seemed  to  affect  the  spirit  of  the  attack.  I  imagine  that  the 
extremely  loud  explosion  of  the  shells  in  the  midst,  and  perhaps 
also  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  led  them  to  suppose  that  they 
were  attacked  from  behind." 

It  is  difficult  to  say  how  long  the  attack  continued,  but  a  vast 
amount  of  ammunition  was  expended  before  the  lances  ceased 
to  fly  through  the  line,  and  the  drums  and  horns  were  at  length 
heard  at  a  greater  distance  in  the  rear.  The  bugle  at  once  sounded 
the  "advance,"  and  the  men  marched  forward,  crossing  the 
stream  at  the  bottom,  and  gained  the  open,  where  they  found 
themselves  in  a  kind  of  swampy  field  of  about  ten  acres.  "  Ha  !" 
exclaimed  many  of  the  soldiers,  "if  we  could  only  get  them  on 
a  clear  space  like  this." 

The  rear-guard  had  been  hotly  pressed,  and  the  natives  had 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  267 

rushed  upon  the  path  close  to  the  Sniders,  which  had  punished 
them  severely.  Had  the  soldiers  depended  upon  muzzle-loading 
muskets,  they  must  have  been  quickly  destroyed  ;  the  sharp  fire 
of  the  Sniders  at  close  quarters  must  have  caused  immense  loss 
at  the  first  onset. 

The  enemy  was  again  dispersed, .but  it  was  necessary  to  sacri- 
fice nearly  all  the  luggage  to  allow  the  men  freer  movement ; 
accordingly  everything,  except  ammunition,  was  piled  together, 
including  even  several  bottles  of  cognac,  and  burned.  Again  the 
troops  moved  forward,  but  at  every  hill  they  were  met  by  an 
ambush  that  had  to  be  cleared,  so  that  progress  was  wretchedly 
slow.  At  a  stream,  which  was  reached  shortly  before  noon,  the 
troops  were  attacked  by  a  very  strong  force  in  ambuscade.  Some 
of  the  enemy  exposed  themselves  boldly,  and  rushed  upon  the 
soldiers  just  in  front  of  the  rear-guard.  Several  were  shot 
by  the  Sniders  ;  but  one  fellow,  with  unusual  pluck,  speared  a 
soldier,  whose  musket  had  missed  fire,  through  the  chest.  This 
poor  fellow,  thus  mortally  wounded,  grappled  with  his  assailant, 
and  tugging  the  spear  from  his  own  wound,  he  drove  it  through 
the  native's  heart.  The  rear  bugle  sounded  "halt,"  while  the 
knapsack  and  cartouche-belt  were  detached  from  the  gallant  sol- 
dier, whose  body  was  left  by  the  side  of  his  enemy. 

Again  the  savages  were  dispersed,  and  for  half  an  hour  there 
was  no  further  trouble,  but  just  as  the  party  gained  a  broad  road, 
that  must  have  been  recently  prepared,  a  thousand  or  more 
natives  fell  upon  them  again.  A  horse-keeper  was  wounded  by 
a  spear,  which  passed  through  his  leg  behind  the  knee,  and  cut 
the  sinew,  thus  rendering  him  helpless.  He  was  immediately 
placed  upon  a  donkey.  The  unfortunate  lad  who  led  the  horse 
a  few  paces  before  Baker  now  uttered  a  wild  shriek,  as  a  spear 
passed  completely  through  his  body.  The  poor  boy  crept  to  his 
commander  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  asked,  *'  Shall  I  creep 
into  the  grass,  Pasha? — where  shall  I  go  !"  He  had  not  another 
minute  to  live.  A  spear  struck  another  horse-keeper  on  the  hip, 
and  the  soft  iron  point  turned  up  against  the  bone  in  a  curve  like 
a  fish-hook .  Lieutenant  Mohammed  Mustapha  was  also  wonnded . 


268 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


A  spear  had  struck  him  behind  the  shoulder-joint,  and  had  passed 
over  the  blade-bone  and  spine  before  making  its  exit  by  the  right 
arm.  It  was  a  very  bad  wound  and  bled  profusely,  but  the  gal- 
lant lieutenant  marched  on  after  having  it  dressed  and  bandaged. 


One  of  the  horses,  carrying  a  heavy  load,  received  a  large  hunt- 
ing spear  just  behind  the  saddle,  which  had  been  thrown  with 
such  force  that  it  penetrated  a  double  blanket  and  passed  entirely 
through  the  poor  animal's  body  :  still  the  horse  was  able  to  carry 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  269 

his  load  for  more  than  a  mile,  to  a  good  open  camping  place, 
where  a  halt  was  ordered. 

There  is  a  singular  bird  in  this  part  of  Africa,  having  a  pecu- 
liar note  that  sounds  like  "  Co-co-ma !  co-co-ma!"  and  which 
the  native  warriors  imitate  with  their  antelope  whistles  just  before 
making  an  attack  on  an  enemy.  The  Bari  porters  who  acconir- 
panied  Baker  said  it  meant  "Look  out!  look  out!"  while  his 
Soudan  soldiers  declared  that  the  bird  exclaimed,  "  Shat-mo- 
koor!"  which  is  the  order  "Make  ready!"  Every  time  just 
before  an  attack  this  doleful  sound  of  "  Co-co-ma  !  co-co-ma  !" 
was  heard  in  the  high  grass,  to  be  followed  immediately  by  a 
discharge  of  lances. 

The  entire  march  was  a  continual  fight,  so  that  it  would  be 
tedious  to  narrate  each  special  attack ;  but  Baker  at  length 
reached  Foweera,  which  was  in  Rionga's  country,  with  a  loss  of 
ten  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  Here  he  expected  to  find  shelter 
and  good  houses,  but  instead  nothing  could  be  seen  but  black- 
ened ashes,  everything  having  been  destroyed. 

MEETING   WITH   RIONGA. 

BAKER  built  a  stockade  at  Foweera,  which  was  on  the  bank  of 
the  Victoria  Nile,  and  then  set  about  building  canoes  in  which  to 
cross  over  to  the  island  where  Rionga  had  his  headquarters. 
Fortunately,  while  these  preparations  were  being  made,  messen- 
gers arrived  to  ascertain  Baker's  intentions  in  coming  to  the 
country.  By  these  he  sent  some  presents  to  Rionga,  and  explained 
his  reasons  for  desiring  an  alliance  with  him.  A  reply  soon  came 
back,  for  Rionga  was  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  an  alliance 
with  so  powerful  a  force,  and  to  show  his  friendship  he  sent 
Baker  a  considerable  quantity  of  provisions,  and  begged  him  to 
cross  over  to  his  island,  where  he  would  receive  him. 

The  canoes  were  now  ready,  and  in  them  Baker  and  his  party 
reached  the  island,  where  they  were  most  hospitably  received  and 
every  want  provided  for.  Rionga  met  him  with  a  frank,  manly 
assurance  of  his  regard,  and  forthwith  proposed  to  exchange 
blood  in  order  that  their  friendship  might  be  irrevocably 
sealed.  This  noble  chief  was  dressed  in  a  beautiful  cloak 


270  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

of  gold  brocade,  which  Baker  had  sent  him  as  a  present  from 
Foweera,  together  with  a  new  tarboosh  and  sky-blue  turban, 
while  upon  his  feet  were  well-made  sandals.  He  was  a  handsome 
man  of  about  fifty,  with  none  of  the  stiffness  of  Kamrasi,  nor 
the  gawky  bearing  of  Kabba  Kega,  but  he  was  perfectly  at  his 
ease.  With  the  natural  politeness  of  a  true  gentleman,  he 
thanked  Baker  for  the  handsome  suit  in  which  he  was  dressed, 
assuring  him  that  without  it  he  could  not  have  appeared  before 
him  in  a  becoming  mamier.  as  the  long-continued  war  of  his 
brother  and  nephew  against  him  had  reduced  him  almost  to  pov- 
erty. He  was  well  aware  of  Baker's  repeated  refusals  to  join  in 
the  struggle  against  him,  and  assured  him  that  he  fully  appreci- 
ated his  friendship.  Rionga  proved  himself  true  and  reliable, 
and  has  always  remained  the  faithful  ally  and  friend  of  the  whites. 

BATTLE  WITH  ABOU  SAOOD. 

BAKER  had  spent  only  two  days  with  Rionga  when  messengers 
arrived  from  Fatiko  with  a  report  that  Abou  Saood  had  grown 
so  insolent,  under  the  belief  that  no  one  could  now  make  him 
accountable  for  his  acts,  that  the  garrison  was  in  grave  danger, 
as  Abdullah  had  already  been  threatened  by  the  cruel  Arab.  His 
insolence  had  extended  farther  than  a  mere  refusal  to  submit  to 
the  authority  of  Lieutenant  Abdullah,  for  he  had  already  enslaved 
nearly  one  hundred  of  the  natives,  and  executed  several  others 
who  had  tried  to  evade  the  slave-sticks  which  he  had  prepared 
for  them.  This  news  moved  Baker  to  immediate  action,  for  he 
felt  the  necessity  of  hurrying  with  all  possible  speed  to  Fatiko 
to  relieve  the  garrison,  knowing  that  Abou  Saood  was  eager  to 
avenge  himself  for  the  loss  of  power  and  trade. 

Buker  left  Foweera  with  forty  of  his  own  men  and  as  many 
more  of  Rionga's  soldiers,  and  inarched  with  such  celerity  that 
he  reached  Faiiko  in  two  days,  before  Abou  Saood  had  the  lea-jt 
suspicion  of  his  approach.  As  he  came  marching  over  the  hill 
toward  the  village,  Abou  Saood  was  as  much  surprised  as  though 
he  had  risen  from  the  ground,  but  he  was  quick  to  realize  the 
danger  which  now  threatened,  as  a  punishment  for  his  rebellious 
and  brutal  conduct.  He  acted  upon  the  only  means  for  evading 


THE   WORLD'S    WONDERS.  271 

the  punishment  circumstances  offered,  and  accordingly  attempted 
to  destroy  Baker  by  a  sudden  and  impetuous  attack.  A  big 
battle  was  the  result,  in  which,  however,  Abou  Saood  was  com- 
pletely routed,  and  nearly  all  his  officers  and  half  of  his  fighting 
force  were  slain. 

THE    CANNIBALS. 

ABOU  SAOOD  escaped  with  a  few  of  his  men  and  changed  his 
headquarters  to  Fabbo,  a  village  nearly  twenty-five  miles  east  of 
Fatiko.  Here  he  collected  a  large  quantity  of  ivory  and  then 
started  for  the  Makkarika  country,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant,  to  secure  carriers  that  would  assist  him  in  removing  the 
ivory  and  resisting  any  attack  that  might  be  made  upon  him. 

Baker's  force,  small  when  he  entered  the  country,  had  been 
diminished  by  deaths  in  battle  and  from  sickness  until  not  more 
than  two  hundred  remained,  all  told,  who  could  be  relied  upon  in 
a  fight.  Even  this  number  was  divided  to  garrison  Fatiko,  while 
sixty  were  left  at  Foweera  with  Rionga,  so  that  there  was  con- 
stant danger  of  annihilation  should  combined  attacks  be  made 
by  the  natives  upon  the  scattered  forces.  He  considered  well 
his  position  and  therefore  sent  a  small  party  back  to  Gondokoro 
for  a  reinforcement  of  two  hundred  men,  with  instructions  to 
bring  some  milch  cows. 

When  Abou  Saood  left  Fabbo  the  natives  began  to  enlist 
under  the  government  standard,  and  therefore,  when  news  came 
that  a  large  body  of  the  Arab  slave-hunters,  including  three 
thousand  Makkarika  cannibals,  had  arrived  on  the  Nile  from  the 
far  west  to  take  the  ivory,  the  people  of  Fabbo  became  very 
much  alarmed;  this  alarm  was  greatly  increased  by  a  second 
report  that  the  cannibals  had  reached  the  Koshi  country,  which 
was  separated  from  the  Madi,  in  which  Fabbo  was  situated,  only 
by  the  Nile  river. 

Every  day  people  arrived  at  Fatiko  with  horrible  reports  of  the 
cannibals,  who  were  devouring  the  children  in  the  Koshi  district. 
Spies  went  across  the  river  and  brought  every  intelligence.  .  It 
appeared  that  the  three  thousand  Makkarikas  had  been  engaged 
by  All  Emmeen  under  the  pretense  that  they  were  to  go  to  Fatiko 


272 


THE    WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


and  fieht  a  chief  called  "the  Pasha,"  who  had  enormous  flocks 
and  herds,  together  with  thousands  of  beautiful  women  and  other 
alluring  spoil ;  but  they  had  not  heard  that  they  were  to  carry 
three  thousand  elephants'  tusks  to  the  station  of  Atroosh. 


Baker's  spies  now  told  them  the  truth.  "Fight  the  Pasha!" 
they  exclaimed  ;  "do  you  not  know  who  he  is?  and  that  he  could 
kill  you  all  like  fowls?  He  has  no  cows  for  you  to  carry  off,  but 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  273 

he  has  guns  that  are  magic,  and  which  load  from  behind  instead 
of  at  the  muzzle  !" 

This  was  a  terrible  disappointment  to  the  deluded  Makkarikas, 
which  at  once  spread  dissension  among  them,  when  they  found 
that  they  had  been  cajoled  in  order  to  transport  the  heavy  loads 
of  ivory.  A  providential  visitation  suddenly  fell  upon  them. 
The  small-pox  broke  out,  and  killed  upward  of  eight  hundred 
blood-thirsty  cannibals  who  had  been  devouring  the  country. 
This  visitation  of  small-pox  created  a  panic  that  entirely  broke 
up  and  dispersed  the  invading  force,  and  defeated  their  plans. 

A    GREAT    HUNT. 

ABOU  SAOOD'S  plans  had  failed,  and  there  was  now  compara- 
tive peace,  while  prospects  for  the  future  were  all  flattering. 
Mtesa  had  sent  a  messenger  to  Baker  offering  his  aid  to  destroy 
Kabba  Rega,  while  Rionga  had  sworn  allegiance  to  the  Khedive 
and  had  been  made  the  vakeel,  or  ruler  of  the  Unyoro  country, 
so  that  Kabba  Rega  was  really  now  only  a  wandering  outcast, 
incapable  of  offering  any  serious  resistance. 

Baker  had  won  the  good  opinion  and  friendship  of  many  natives 
during  his  first  journey  through  Africa,  by  joining  with  them 
in  the  chase  and  so  effectively  killing  and  sharing  with  them  the 
large  game.  It  was  now  the  hunting  season,  and  as  arrange- 
ments were  being  made  for  the  great  annual  hunt,  he  resolved  to 
participate  with  the  natives,  which  gave  them  much  pleasure,  for 
they  appreciated  his  gun,  which  was  certain  to  secure  for  them 
considerable  meat. 

The  natives,  in  their  annual  hunts,  use  a  large  net,  or  a  number 
of  nets,  which  are  made  fast  successively  to  stakes  so  as  to  form 
a  large  quarter  circle  stretching  across  the  country  which  they 
have  previously  selected  to  beat.  They  then  form  a  circle  them- 
selves, more  than  a  mile  in  diameter,  facing  the  nets,  and  fire  the 
grass  to  rvindward.  In  the  high  grass  the  net  would  be  invisible 
until  the  game,  in  trying  to  escape,  would  rush  into  it,  when  they 
were  checked  and  speared  to  death  by  hunters  who  remained 
secret,  two  to  each  section  of  netting. 

18 


THE    WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


After  the  grass  had  been  burnt,  large  qualities  of  the  crimson 
fruit  of  the  wild  ginger  showed  in  many  directions,  growing 
half -exposed  from  the  earth.  This  is  a  leathery,  hard  pod, 


about  the  size  of  a  goose-egg,  filled  with  a  semi-transparent 
pulp  of  a  subacid  flavor,  with  a  delicious  perfume  between 
pine-apple  and  lemon-peel.  It  is  very  juicy  and  refreshing, 
and  is  decidedly  the  best  wild  fruit  of  Central  Africa. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  275 

Everything  was  ready  and  the  men  had  already  been  stationed 
at  regular  intervals  about  two  miles  to  windward,  where  thev 
waited  with  their  fire-sticks  ready  for  the  appointed  signal.  A 
shrill  whistle  disturbed  the  silence.  This  signal  was  repeated  at 
intervals.  In  a  few  minutes  after  the  signal  a  long  line  of  sepa- 
rate thin  pillars  of  smoke  ascended  into  the  blue  sky,  forming  a 
band  extending  over  about  two  miles  of  the  horizon.  The  thin 
pillars  rapidly  thickened  and  became  dense  volumes,  until  at 
length  they  united  and  formed  a  long  black  cloud  of  smoke  that 
drifted  before  the  wind  over  the  bright  yellow  surface  of  the 
high  grass.  The  fire  traveled  at  a  rate  of  several  miles  an  hour, 
and  very  soon,  from  an  ant-hill  which  he  had  selected,  Baker 
saw  the  startled  game  begin  to  move  about.  A  rhinoceros  was 
first  to  appear,  but  it  was  too  far  for  a  successful  shot,  and  kept 
along  an  incline  toward  the  nets  ;  antelopes  shot  by,  and  presently 
a  lion  and  lioness  leaped  into  view,  but  just  as  Baker  was  about 
to  fire  the  head  of  a  native  rose  in  the  direct  line  of  aim.  Beau- 
tiful lencotis,  hartebeests  and  antelopes  were  now  running  on 
every  side,  affording  excellent  shots,  which  Baker  thoroughly 
improved  until  he  had  killed  nearly  a  dozen  of  these  animals 
without  moving  from  the  ant-hill.  The  natives  killed  many 
antelopes,  but  the  rhinoceros  ran  through  the  net  as  though  it 
had  been  a  cobweb,  followed  by  a  number  of  buffaloes. 

HOW   THE    NATIVES    CARE   FOR   THEIR    BABIES. 

THE  results  of  the  hunt  were  very  gratifying,  enough  meat 
having  been  obtained  to  last  the  village  for  several  days.  The 
women  who  participated  in  the  hunt,  to  carry  the  game,  took 
their  babies  wtth  them,  slung  across  their  backs  by  a  piece  of 
bark-cloth  and  protected  against  rain  by  inverted  gourd-shells ; 
yet  with  this  burden  they  managed  also  to  carry  large  loads  of 
meat. 

The  treatment  of  children  in  Central  Africa  is  most  inhuman 
and  accounts  for  the  extraordinary  mortality  among  them. 
According  to  the  population  of  the  village,  there  are  certain 
houses  built  upon  pedestals,  or  stone  supports,  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  lu  the  clay  wall  of  the  circular  building  is  a 


276 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


round  hole  about  a  foot  in  diameter  ;  this  is  the  only  aperture. 
At  sunset,  when  the  children  have  been  fed,  they  are  put  to  bed 
in  the  simplest  manner,  by  being  thrust  head-foremost  through 
the  hole  in  the  wall,  assisted,  if  refractory,  by  a  smack  behind, 
until  the  night-nursery  shall  have  received  the  limited  number. 
The  aperture  is  then  stopped  up  with  a  bundle  of  grass,  if  the 
nights  are  cool.  The  children  lie  together  on  the  clay  floor  like 
a  litter  of  young  puppies,  and  breathe  the  foulest  air  until  morn- 


WOMEN,    WITH   THEIR   CHILDREN,    ASSISTING  IN  THE  HUNT. 

ing,  at  which  time  they  are  released  from  the  suffocating  oven, 
to  be  suddenly  exposed  to  the  chilly  day-break.  Their  naked 
little  bodies  shiver  round  a  fire  until  the  sun  warms  them,  but 
the  seeds  of  diarrhoea  and  dysentery  have  already  been  sown. 

ADVENTURE  WITH  A  LIONESS. 

Ox  December  30th,  a  week  after  the   hunt  just  described, 
another  hunt  was  arranged  for,  which  was  attended  with  even 

O  7 

greater  excitement  than  the  first,  though  the  preparations  were 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  277 

all  the  same.  Baker  had  taken  position  on  an  ant-hill  and  direct!}7 
after  the  grass  was  fired  a  beautiful  picture  was  presented,  for 
they  had  surrounded  an  unusually  large  number  of  animals,  which 
advanced  slowly,  as  the  pace  of  the  fire  was  hardly  more  than  two 
miles  an  hour.  As  Baker  was  firing  with  deadly  effect  upon  a 
herd  of  antelopes,  he  saw  a  yellow  tail  rise  suddenly  from  a 
water-hole  not  far  distant,  immediately  followed  by  glimpses  of 
an  immense  lion,  which  disappeared  again  in  the  grass,  with  its 
head  in  the  direction  of  the  hunter,  as  though  approaching. 
Presently  a  rustling  in  the  dry  grass  within  forty  yards  of  his 
stand,  apprised  him  that  the  ferocious  beast  was  coming  nearer ; 
he  had  three  guns  with  him,  suited  for  different  kinds  of  game, 
and  seizing  a  rifle  which  was  specially  suited  for  lion  shooting,  in 
another  moment  he  caught  a  fair  view  of  the  animal  and  fired. 
Instead  of  being  the  one  he  had  first  seen,  it  proved  to  be  a 
lioness  ;  she  rolled  over  backward  and  turned  three  convulsive 
somersaults,  at  the  same  time  roaring  furiously  ;  she  then  recov- 
ered and  rose  as  if  unharmed  ;  Baker  fired  again,  but  must  have 
missed,  for  she  charged  at  him,  roaring  all  the  while  ;  a  load  of 
buck-shot,  however,  sent  her  back  again  and  she  disappeared  in 
the  high  grass. 

The  lioness  could  be  heard  groaning  at  a  short  distance,  so 
carefully  picking  his  way,  Baker  approached  near  enough  to  get 
another  shot,  which  broke  her  ankle  joint,  but  again  she  got 
away.  Several  natives  now  came  upon  the  scene,  and  locating 
the  wounded  beast,  offered  to  throw  their  spears  at  her,  which 
would  result  in  bringing  her  out  so  that  a  fair  shot  could  be 
secured.  Baker  would  not  allow  this,  but  fired  at  her  as  she  lay 
partially  concealed  in  a  bottom.  The  reply  was  an  immediate 
charge,  and  the  enraged  brute  came  bounding  toward  him  with 
savage  roars.  The  natives  threw  their  spears,  but  missed,  and 
some  one  would  have  been  badly  torn  had  not  a  shot  from  a 
smooth-bore  No.  10  gun  caused  her  to  retreat  again  into  the 
grass.  Baker  now  took  his  large  rifle  and  followed  stealthily 
until  he  saw  the  lioness  sitting  up  on  her  haunches  like  a  dog. 
A  careful  aim  put  a  bullet  in  the  back  of  her  neck,  from  which 


278 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


she  fell  over  dead.  She  measured  nine  feet  six  inches  from  nose 
to  tail  extremity,  and  upon  being  cut  open,  they  found  the  half 
of  a  lencotis,  which  had  been  simply  divided  by  her  teeth  into 


cwo-pound  lumps.     These  were  greedily  seized  by  the  natives 
and  divided  between  them  as  a  particularly  dainty  dish. 

A   PEACEFUL    GOVERNMENT. 

THESE  hunts  had  a  very  beneficial  influence,  for  they  served  to 
establish  confidence  in  Baker  on  the  part  of  the  natives.    The 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 

women  were  especially  friendly  and  loyal,  to  such  a  degree  that 
they  visited  him  in  a  body  and  begged  that  he  would  not  go 
upon  the  hunt  again  lest  he  should  fall  a  victim  to  some  wild 
animal,  in  which  event  they  declared  the  slave-hunters  would 
return  and  either  kill  or  carry  them  again  into  captivity.  They 
looked  upon  him  as  their  sole  protector,  and  therefore  were  ever 
anxious  for  his  life. 

Everything  was  now  peaceful ;  there  were  no  quarrels,  no 
intoxication,  no  thieving.  The  troops  were  all  Mohammedans 
without  an  opposing  sect ;  therefore,  for  lack  of  opposition,  they 
were  lukewarm.  The  natives  believed  in  nothing.  Baker  notes 
the  following : 

"  The  curious  fact  remained,  that  without  the  slightest  prin- 
ciple of  worship,  or  even  a  natural  religious  instinct,  these  people 
should  be  free  from  many  vices  that  disgrace  a  civilized  commu- 
nity. I  endeavored  to  persuade  the  most  intelligent  of  the  exist- 
ence of  a  Deity  who  could  reward  or  punish  ;  but  beyond  this  I 
dared  not  venture,  as  they  would  have  asked  practical  questions, 
which  I  could  not  have  explained  to  their  material  understanding." 

HOW    TO    CIVILIZE    THE    AFRICANS. 

BAKER  arrives  at  the  following  conclusions  in  regard  to  the 
best  methods  of  civilizing  the  savage  tribes  of  Africa:  "The 
Madi  and  Shooli  tribes  would  be  found  tractable  and  capable  of 
religious  instruction.  It  is  my  opinion  that  the  time  has  not  yet 
arrived  for  missionary  enterprise  in  those  countries  ;  but  at  the 
same  time  a  sensible  man  might  do  good  service  by  living  among 
the  natives,  and  proving  to  their  material  minds  that  persons  do 
exist  whose  happiness  consists  in  doing  good  to  others.  The 
personal  qualifications  and  outfit  for  a  single  man  who  would  thus 
settle  among  the  natives  should  be  various.  If  he  wished  to 
secure  their  attention  and  admiration  he  should  excel  as  a  rifle- 
shot and  sportsman.  If  musical,  he  should  play  the  Highland 
bagpipe.  He  should  be  clever  as  a  conjuror,  and  be  well  pro- 
vided with  conjuring  tricks,  together  with  a  magic  lantern,  mag 
netic  battery,  dissolving  views,  photographic  apparatus,  colored 
pictorial  illustrations,  etc.,  etc.  He  should  be  a  good  surgeon 


280  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

and  general  doctor,  and  be  well  supplied  with  drugs,  remembering 
that  natives  have  profound  admiration  for  medical  skill. 

"  A  man  who  in  full  Highland  dress  could  at  any  time  collect 
an  audience  by  playing  a  lively  air  with  the  bagpipes,  would  be 
regarded  with  great  veneration  by  the  natives,  and  would  be 
listened  to  when  an  archbishop  by  his  side  would  be  totally  disre- 
garded. He  should  set  all  psalms  to  lively  tunes,  and  the  natives 
would  learn  to  sing  them  immediately.  Devotional  exercises 
should  be  chiefly  musical.  In  this  manner  a  man  would  become 
a  general  favorite  ;  and  if  he  had  a  never-failing  supply  of  beads, 
copper  rods,  brass  rings  for  arms,  fingers,  and  ears,  gaudy  cotton 
handkerchiefs,  red  or  blue  .blankets,  zinc-mirrors,  red  cotton 
shirts,  etc.,  to  give  to  his  parishioners,  and  expected  nothing  in 
return,  he  would  be  considered  a  great  man,  whose  opinion  would 
carry  considerable  weight,  provided  that  he  only  spoke  of  sub- 
jects which  he  thoroughly  understood.  A  knowledge  of  agricul- 
ture, with  a  good  stock  of  seeds  of  useful  vegetables  and  cereals, 
iron  hoes,  carpenters'  and  blacksmiths'  tools,  and  the  power  of 
instructing  others  in  their  use,  together  with  a  plentiful  supply 
of  very  small  axes,  would  be  an  immense  recommendation  to  a 
lay  missionary  who  should  determine  to  devote  some  years  of 
his  life  to  the  improvement  of  the  natives." 

PREPARING   TO    RETURN   TO    ENGLAND. 

ON  January  15,  1873,  envoys  arrived  from  Mtesa,  bringing  a 
letter  offering  an  army  of  his  men  to  Baker,  with  which  to  destroy 
Kabba  Rega  and  place  Rionga  on  the  throne,  as  the  Egyptian 
representative  over  Unyoro.  He  also  desired  Baker  to  visit  him, 
and  expressed  much  anxiety  to  promote  such  commercial  inter- 
course as  the  Khedive  desired  to  establish.  All  these  matters 
had  been  arranged,  for  Kabba- Rega  had  been  deposed  and  Rionga 
was  in  full  possession  of  Unyoro,  which  facts  were  communicated 
to  Mtesa,  with  thanks  for  his  very  kind  offer  of  assistance. 

Baker  had  felt  no  little  solicitude  for  Wat-el-Mek,  whom  he 
had  sent  to  Gondokoro  for  reinforcements,  double  the  time  he. 
had  allowed  for  the  return  having  now  elapsed.  At  length,  oil 
March  8,  on  the  ninety-second  day  after  their  departure,  he  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


281 


rejoiced  to  see  the  advance-guard  approaching,  and  forming  his 
troops  quickly,  he  went  out  to  give  them  a  military  welcome. 
After  an  inspection  of  the  men.  "Baker  was  annoyed  very  much 


by  the  fact  that  not  a  single  head  of  cattle  had  been  brought  with 
them  ;  a  quarrel  had  taken  place  between  Wat-el-Mek  and  Tayib 
Agha,  the  two  commanding  officers,  a  Bari  village  had  been 
burned,  and  in  a  battle  with  the  natives  twenty-eight  of  the  sol- 


282  Tttfi  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

diers  had  been  killed,  their  arms  taken,  and  all  the  cattle  cap- 
tured. The  ill-feeling  between  the  two  officers  was  the  cause  of 
all  their  calamities. 

There  had  been  enough  recruits  brought  from  Gondokoro* 
however,  to  swell  the  total  force  to  six  hundred  and  twenty  men, 
with  which  E -^er  strongly  garrisoned  Fatiko,  Fabbo,  and  the 
stockade  ii-3  'i.-,d  built  opposite  Rionga's  island,  at  Foweera. 
Unyoro  was  now  completely  in  the  power  of  Rionga,  and  a  route 
was  opened  from  Fatiko  to  Zanzibar.  Everything  was  in  per- 
fect order,  so  leaving  Major  Abdullah  commandant  at  Fatiko,  he 
gave  him  full  insf ructions  as  to  the  government  of  Central  Africa, 
and  then  departed  with  a  small  body-guard  for  Gondokoro,  which 
place  was  reached  without  special  incident  on  April  1st,  1873, 
the  date  on  wnich  his  commission  from  the  Khedive  expired. 

After  turning  over  his  effects  to  the  government  officers  at 
Gondokoro,  he  secured  a  vessel  and  started  for  Khartoum. 
En  route  he  overtook  three  vessels  having  on  board  seven  hundred 
slaves,  among  whom  tho  small-pox  had  broken  out  and  the  mor- 
tality was  frightful.  He  nailed  the  slavers  and  was  astonished 
to  learn  that  the  vessels  belonged  to  Abou  Saood,  who  had  been 
to  Cairo  and  so  established  himself  in  the  confidence  of  the  au- 
thorities that  he  could  continue  his  nefarious  traffic  without  fear 
of  any  unpleasant  results ;  nor  was  this  the  only  discouraging 
news  which  Baker  heard,  for  he  learned  positively  that  ever  since 
his  departure  from  Gondokoro  for  Fatiko  the  slave  vessels  had 
been  carrying  their  human  cargoes  directly  on  to  Alexandria  or 
the  Red  Sea,  meeting  with  no  opposition  they  could  not  easily 
overcome  by  bribery.  He  now  saw  that  all  his  labors  for  a  sup- 
pression of  the  slave  trade  in  Central  Africa  had  been  without 
fruit ;  that  the  government,  so  far  from  rendering  its  aid  to 
that  end,  had  nullified  its  declarations  and  orders  by  refusing  to 
punish  convicted  slavers,  and  by  receiving  tnem  as  worthy  mer- 
chants at  the  Khedive's  capital.  Sick  with  disgust,  he  quitted 
Egypt  and  sailed  for  England. 

Colonel  Gordon,  R.  E.,  now  known  as  «  Chinese  Gordon," 
was  appointed  Bakei'o  successor,  and  at  this  writing  is  invested 
at  Khartoum  by  El,Mhadi,  the  false  prophet. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  283 

The  annexation  of  the  Soudan  has  been  of  much  advantage  to 
Egypt,  and  has  resulted  in  diminishing  the  slave  trade,  since 
ivory  traffic  is  found  to  be  more  profitable ;  but  Egypt  is  not 
entitled  to  the  credit  of  this  improvement  more  than  America 
and  the  European  powers,  which  have  demanded  a  suppression 
of  the  slave  trade. 


LIVINGSTONE'S 

TRAVELS  IN  AFRICA, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MISSIONARY  SERVICE  AND  FIRST  ADVENTURE. 

DR.  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE,  a  Scotchman,  has  won  a  greater 
reputation  for  travel  and  research  in  Africa  than  any  other  man, 
though  his  actual  discoveries  have  not  been  so  important  as  those 
of  our  own  Stanley.  Livingstone  was  a  born  philantropist.  The 
son  of  uncommonly  observant  and  strict  Presbyterians,  he  was 
encouraged  to  read  only  theological  literature,  all  other  reading 
being  prohibited  under  pain  of  condign  punishment.  As  might 
be  expected,  he  disliked  religion  in  his  youth,  and  smuggled 
books  of  travel  and  adventure  to  such  retreats  as  offered  immu- 
nity from  detection.  He  mentions  it  as  a  fact  that  the  last  pun- 
ishment he  ever  received  from  his  father  was  for  reading  books 
which  he  declared  were  inimical  to  religion. 

Livi-jg.stone  gained  the  means  to  school  himself  by  spinning 
cotton :  and  completed  a  course  of  medicine  by  the  same  ener- 
getic application.  He  was  now  ready  to  see  the  world,  and  his 


284  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

desire  was  first  Jo  visit  China,  which  was  then  closed  to  all  na- 
tionalties,  existing  as  a  government  in  a  marvellous  exclusiveness 
which  could  alone  incite  the  building  of  a  wall  as  a  protection 
ao-ainst  intrusion.  About  this  time,  however,  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society  desired  to  send  a  missionary  into  Southern 
Africa,  and  Livingstone's  friends  recommended  him  as  a  *no-* 


DR.   DAVID   LIVINGSTONE. 


suitable  person.  As  sectarianism  was  not  a  characteristic  i*t  the 
society,  which  urged  the  teachings  of  Christ  only,  and  salvation 
without  creed  or  discipline,  it  pleased  Livingstone,  whose  ideas 
v-e  strictly  in  accord  with  these  principles.  Accordingly  he  was 
engaged,  and  in  1840  embarked  for  Africa,  reaching  Cape  Town 
after  a  voyage  of  three  months.  Spending  but  a  short  time 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS.  285 

there,  he  started  for  the  interior,  where  he  spent  the  following 
sixteen  years  of  his  life  in  explorations  and  missionary  and 
medical  labors,  without  cost  to  the  inhabitants.  During  his  short 
stay  at  Cape  Town  he  became  acquainted  with  a  fellow-missionary 
named  Robert  Moffat,  whose  daughter  he  married,  and  she  sub- 
sequently accompanied  him  on  his  various  expeditions. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  he  started  by  ox-team  for  the  mission- 
ary station  at  Kuruman,  in  the  Bechuana  country,  about  600 
miles  northeast  of  Cape  Town,  where,  after  resting  three  months, 
he  journeyed  to  Litubaruba,  fifteen  miles  to  the  south.  He 
entered  upon  a  study  of  the  native  language,  and  in  six  months 
had  gathered  enough  to  express  himself  in  the  Bechuana  tongue. 
He  now  went  north  to  visit  the  Bakaa  Mountains,  much  of  which 
journey  he  was  compelled  to  make  on  foot  on  account  of  his 
oxen  being  sick.  Here  he  tried  to  found  a  settlement,  but  a  war 
between  neighboring  tribes  put  an  end  to  his  plans.  A  return  to 
Kuruman  became  necessary,  to  secure  provisions,  which,  being 
obtained,  he  went  into  a  beautiful  valley  called  Mabotsa  (lat.  25° 
14'  south,  long.  26°  30')  and  there  founded  a  missionary  station, 
to  which  he  removed  in  1843. 

The  natives  of  Mabotsa  were  called  Bakatla,  ar,d  were  a  very 
superstitious  but  friendly  people.  About  this  place  lions  were 
very  troublesome,  as  they  carried  off  cattle,  both  in  the  night  and 
day-time,  so  that  the  Bakatla  came  to  believe  that  the  beasts 
were  witches  sent  by  their  enemies  to  prey  upon  their  flocks,  and 
they  made  little  effort  to  kill  them.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
if  one  of  a  troop  of  lions  is  killed,  the  others  will  leave  that 
part  of  the  country ;  and  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  this 
peculiarity  Livingstone  resolved  to  destroy  at  least  one  of  the 
marauders.  The  order  for  a  hunt  was  given,  which  was  obeyed 
by  the  natives  forming  in  a  large  circle  to  drive  in  whatever  they 
might  surround.  In  this  way  one  of  the  lions  was  discovered 
sitting  on  a  rock  within  the  now  closed  circle.  A  native  fired  at 
it,  but  the  ball  struck  the  rock,  which  caused  the  lion  to  bite  at 
the  spot  as  a  dog  will  at  a  stick  thrust  at  him,  but  in  another 
moment  he  bounded  off  and  rushed  through  the  circle,  the  men 


286  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

giving  way  instead  of  spearing  him,  owing  to  their  fear  of 
witchcraft. 

When  the  circle  was  .reformed  and  advanced,  two  more  lions 
were  found  within  it,  but  these  also  escaped  without  injury.  The 
cowardly  action  of  :he  Cakatla  so  disgusted  Livingstone  that  he 
decided  to  hunt  the  lions  on  his  own  account,  though  a  number 
of  the  more  courageous  natives  followed  him.  They  were  not 
long  in  discovering  another  lion  sitting  on  a  rock  not  more  than 
thirty  yards  distant  $  Livingstone  aimed  at  the  body  and  fired 
both  barrels,  at  which  the  natives  cried  out,  "  He  is  shot !  he  is 
shot!"  and  were  making  toward  it  vhilc  Livingstone  stood  to 
reload  his  gun.  When  in  the  act  of  ramming  down  the  bullet, 
a  shout  attracted  his  attention  just  as  the  lion  sprang  upon  him, 
catching  his  shoulder  and  bearing  him  to  the  ground.  With  a 
horrible  growl  the  lion  seized  him  by  the  arm,  crunching  the 
bone  and  shaking  him  like  a  terrier  dog  does  a  rat.  Of  the 
immediate  effect  of  the  bite  Livingstone  writes  : 

"The  shock  produced  n  stupor  similar  to  that  which  seems  to 
be  felt  by  a  mouse  after  the  first  shake  of  the  cat.  It  caused  a 
sort  of  dreaminess,  in  which  there  was  no  sense  of  pain  nor 
feeling  of  terror,  though  quite  conscious  of  all  that  was  happen- 
ing. It  was  like  what  patients  partially  under  the  influence  of 
chloroform  describe,  who  see  all  the  operation  but  feel  not  the 
knife.  This  singular  condition  was  not  the  result  of  any  mental 
process.  The  shake  annihilated  fear,  and  allowed  no  sense  of 
horror  in  looking  round  at  the  beast.  This  peculiar  state  is 
probably  produced  in  all  animals  killed  by  the  carnivora  ;  and  if 
so,  is  a  merciful  provision  by  our  benevolent  Creator  for  lessening 
the  pain  of  death." 

As  he  turned  to  relieve  the  weight  of  the  animal's  paw, 
which  rested  upon  his  head,  he  saw  one  of  the  men  of  his 
party  trying  to  shoot  at  a  distance  of  ten  yards,  but  his 
gun  missed  fire.  At  the  same  instant  a  dog  belonging  to 
one  of  the  natives  rushed  in  and  bit  the  lion  on  the  leg,  which 

o' 

attracted  his  attention  away  from  Livingstone,  but  he  imme- 
diately sprang  upon  a  native  named  Mebalwe,  and  dreadfully 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


287 


lacerated    his    thigh.      In    an    instant    another    brave    fellow 
rushed  to  the  assistance   of  his  comrade,   with  a  spear,   but 


the    lion  seized  him   by  the    shoulder    and   would    doubtless 
have    killed  the  poor   native    except   for  the  fact   that    the 


288  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

loss  of  blood  from  the  wound  inflicted  by  Livingstone's  shots 
had  so  weakened  him  that  his  grip  soon  relaxed,  and  he  fell  dead. 
All  this  was  the  work  of  a  few  moments,  and  was  evidently  done 
by  the  animal  in  his  dying  paroxysms  of  rage.  Besides  crunch- 
ing the  bone  into  splinters,  he  left  eleven  teeth  wounds  on  the 
upper  part  of  Livingstone's  arm.  A  wound  from  a  lion's  tooth 
resembles  a  gun-shot  wound  ;  it  is  generally  followed  by  a  great 
deal  of  sloughing  discharge,  and  pains  are  felt  in  the  part  period- 
ically ever  afterward.  Livingstone  had  on  a  tartan  jacket  on  this 
occasion,  and  it  evidently  wiped  off  all  the  virus  from  the  teeth 
that  pierced  the  flesh,  for  his  two  companions  in  this  affray  both 
suffered  from  the  peculiar  pains,  while  he  escaped  with  only 
the  inconvenience  of  a  false  joint  in  the  limb.  The  man  whose 
shoulder  was  bitten  showed  his  wound  actually  burst  forth  afresh 
on  the  same  month  of  the  following  year. 

ENTRAPPING   LARGE    GAME. 

THE  settlement  at  Mabotsa  soon  became  a  flourishing  place, 
as  the  natives  were  anxious  to  be  near  Livingstone,  whom  they 
regarded  as  a  great  chief  and  doctor  able  to  cure  their  ills  and 
protect  them  against  their  enemies.  One  of  the  principal  chiefs 
of  the  Bakwains  was  named  Sechele,  an  intelligent  fellow,  who 
quickly  perceived  how  superior  the  white  man  was  to  his  people, 
and  he  therefore  sought  to  imitate  Livingstone  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible. He  was  easily  converted  to  Christianity,  and  became  a 
very  active  disciple  whose  labors  for  a  time  seemed  to  bear  ex- 
cellent fruit,  for  he  converted  a  great  many  of  his  people  and 
had  them  attend  a  school,  which  Livingstone  established,  that 
they  might  learn  to  read  the  Bible.  Everything  appeared  pro- 
pitious, until  a  dreadful  drought  set  in  ;  vegetation  parched  up, 
the  streams  ran  dry,  and  even  the  birds  and  insects  perished. 
In  vain  the  rain-maker  practiced  his  magic,  the  clouds  would  roll 
up  and  break  in  copious  showers,  sometimes  within  ten  miles  of 
Mabotsa,  but  never  a  drop  in  the  scorched  fields  of  the  Bakwains. 
Patience  at  length  ceased,  and  the  people  openly  declared  that 
the  drought  was  a  curse  sent  upon  them  for  becoming  Christians, 
a  belief  which  was  readily  received  because  rain  fell  in  abund- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ance  among  all  the  neighboring  tribes. 


Yet  they  continued  to 
tr«at  Livingstone  with  the  greatest  kindness,  though  constantly 


• 


begging  him  to  quit  praying,   lest  his  wickedness  in  so  doing 
should  bring  other  calamities  upon  the  country. 

The  drought  having  destroyed  all  corn  and  other  vegetables 

upon  which  the  natives  were  dependent,  to  obtain  food  a  hunt 
19 


290  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

was  proposed  by  Livingstone,  which  suggestion  was  received 
with  general  satisfaction,  though  some  were  doubtful  if  any 
success  could  be  had  with  the  "drought-maker"  among  the 
hunters.  Nevertheless,  a  hunt  was  organized.  Some  miles  from 
Mabotsa  there  was  a  small  creek  not  yet  quite  dry,  which  Living- 
stone knew  must  be  resorted  to  by  numbers  of  wild  animals,  and 
in  this  neighborhood  he  had  the  natives  construct  what  they  call 
a  "  hopo."  The  hopo  consists  of  two  brush  hedges  in  the  form 
of  an  open-ended  V,  which  are  high  and  thick  near  the  angle. 
Instead  of  the  hedges  being  joined,  they  are  made  to  form  a  lane 
about  fifty  yards  in  length,  at  the  extremity  of  which  is  a  pit 
eight  feet  deep  and  fifteen  feet  in  breadth  and  length.  Trees  Rre 
laid  carefully  about  the  borders  so  as  to  overlap  the  edge  of  the 
pit  to  prevent  entrapped  animals  from  leaping  out.  The  entire 
pit  is  carefully  covered  over  with  green  rushes,  to  make  it  appear 
like  a  roadway,  thoroughly  disguising  the  pitfall. 

As  the  hedge-wings  are  generally  a  mile  or  more  in  length  and 
as  broad  at  the  entrance,  by  beating  up  the  adjacent  covert,  a 
large  amount  of  game  is  driven  into  the  hopo,  particularly  as  two 
or  three  hundred  hunters  make  a  great  circuit  and  by  loud  shouts 
drive  in  the  game  from  an  immense  district  of  country. 

In  the  hunt  which  Livingstone  organized,  an  unusually  large 
quantity  of  game  was  beat  up,  consisting  of  rhinoceri,  antelopes, 
hartebeests  and  lions,  so  that  the  pit  was  not  only  filled,  but 
hundreds  escaped  over  the  bodies  of  the  less  fortunate.  The 
natives  destroyed  those  that  were  entrapped  with  spears  and 
javelins,  while  Livingstone  added  much  to  the  store  of  meat  by 
shooting  several  antelopes  that  would  have  otherwise  escaped. 
A  great  feast  followed  and  enough  food  was  secured  to  last  until 
the  rains  came  to  freshen  vegetation  again. 

O  C 

CROSSING  AN   AFRICAN   DESERT. 

AFTER  a  residence  of  eight  years  at  Mabotsa,  Livingstone  had 
thoroughly  established  the  Christian  doctrine  and  had  so  far 
educated  many  of  the  Bakwains  that  they  were  qualified  to  continue 
the  schools.  Two  English  sportsmen,  named  Murray  and 
Oswell,  who  had  penetrated  to  Lattakoo,  hearing  of  Livingstone 


THE  WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


291 


292  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

at  Mabotsa,  paid  him  a  visit  and  requested  him  to  accompany 
them  across  the  great  Kalahari  desert  to  Lake  Nganri,  which  is 
in  lat.  20°  30'  ;  long.  23°. 

Kalahari  is  not,  strictly  speaking,  a  desert,  but  is  called  so 
from  the  fact  that  it  contains  no  running  water,  and  very  little 
can  be  procured  by  digging  wells;  notwithstanding  this,  it  is 
covered  with  grass  and  a  great  variety  of  creeping  plants,  while 
game,  especially  antelope,  abounds  in  numbers  like  buffaloes  on 
our  western  plains  twenty  years  ago.  A  peculiarity  of  this 
so-called  desert  is  the  vast  amount  of  delicious  tubers  and  refresh- 
ing vine  fruits  which  are  everywhere  found  on  its  surface.  One 
of  these  is  the  Leroshua,  which  is  a  small  plant  with  linear  leaves 
and  a  stem  not  longer  than  a  crow's  quill ;  on  digging  down  a 
foot  or  eighteen  inches,  a  tuber  is  found,  generally  four  to  six 
inches  in  diameter.  The  meat,  which  is  enclosed  within  a  thin 
rind,  is  most  excellent.  Another  plant,  named  Mokuri,  which 
grows  only  in  parched  districts,  is  found  here.  It  is  an  herbacious 
creeper  and  deposits  under  ground  a  number  of  tubers,  in  a  circle 
of  a  yard  or  more,  some  of  which  are  as  large  as  a  man's  head. 
The  natives,  who  are  Bushmen,  strike  the  ground  on  the  circum- 
ference of  the  circle  with  stones,  until  by  a  peculiar  sound  they 
know  the  tuber  is  beneath.  They  then  dig  a  foot  or  so  and  find 
it.  Strange  enough,  this  tuber  does  not  contain  food,  but  is 
filled  with  deliciously  cool  water,  furnishing  an  inestimable  bless 
ing  to  the  natives  when  traveling  through  the  country. 

PECUIIAR   WATERMELONS. 

BUT  the  most  surprising  plant  of  the  desert  is  a  peculiar  sort 
of  watermelon.  The  elephant,  true  lord  of  the  forest,  revels  in 
this  fruit,  and  so  do  the  different  species  of  rhinoceros,  although 
naturally  so  diverse  in  their  choice  of  pasture.  The  various  kinds 
of  antelopes  feed  on  them  with  equal  avidity,  and  lions,  hyenas, 
jackals,  and  mice,  all  seem  to  know  and  appreciate  the  common 
blessing.  These  melons  are  not,  however,  all  of  them  eatable  ; 
some  are  sweet,  and  others  so  bitter  that  the  whole  are  named  by 
the  Boers  the  "  bitter  watermelon."  The  natives  select  them  by 
striking  one  melon  after  another  with  a  hatchet,  and  applying  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


293 


tongue  to  the  gashes.  They  thus  readily  distinguish  between 
the  bitter  and  sweet.  The  bitter  are  deleterious,  but  the  sweet 
are  quite  wholesome.  This  peculiarity  of  one  species  of  plants 
bearing  both  sweet  and  bitter  fruit  occurs  also  in  a  red,  eatable 
cucumber,  often  met  with  in  the  country. 


WOMEN   FILLING  UP   EGG-SHELLS  WITH   WATER. 

The  Bushmen,  also  known  as  Bakalahari,  choose  their  resi- 
dences far  from  water  on  account  of  their  dread  of  visits  from 
strange  tribes.  They  not  unfrequently  hide  their  liquid  supplies 
in  pits  and  build  fires  over  them.  When  water  is  desired,  the 
women  come  with  twenty  or  thirty  of  their  vessels  in  a  bag  or 
net  on  their  backs.  These  water-vessels  consist  of  ostrich  egg- 
shells, with  a  hole  in  the  end  of  each  barely  large  enough  to 
admit  one's  finger.  The  women  tie  a  bunch  of  grass  to  one  end 
of  a  reed  about  two  feet  long,  and  insert  it  in  a  hole  dug  as  deep 
as  the  arm  will  reach  ;  then  ram  down  the  wet  sand  firmly  round 
it.  Applying  the  mouth  to  the  free  end  of  the  reed,  they  form 
a  vacuum  in  the  grass  beneath,  in  which  the  water  collects,  and 
in  a  short  time  rises  into  the  mouth.  An  egg-shell  is  placed  on 


294  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

the  ground  alongside  the  reed,  some  inches  below  the  mouth  of 
the  sucker.  A  straw  guides  the  water  into  the  hole  of  the  vessel, 
as  the  woman  draws  mouthful  after  mouthful  from  below.  The 
water  is  made  to  pass  along  the  outside,  not  through  the  straw. 
If  any  one  will  attempt  tc  squirt  water  into  a  bottle  placed  some 
distance  below  his  mouth,  he  will  soon  perceive  the  wisdom  of 
the  Bushwoman's  contrivance  for  giving  the  stream  direction  by 
means  of  a  straw.  The  whole  stock  of  water  is  thus  passed 
through  the  woman's  mouth  as  a  pump,  and,  when  taken  home, 
is  carefully  buried. 

A   DREARY   MARCH   ACROSS    THE    DESERT. 

To  turn  from  such  a  refreshing  scene — the  bubbling  spring, 
that  wells  up  like  an  eternal  joy — and  picture  a  hoary  waste, 
whitened  by  the  glare  of  a  scorching  sun,  one  vast  sheen  of 
trackless,  waterless,  arid  desert,  is  not  a  pleasurable  transforma- 
tion ;  yet  we  must  now  view  Livingstone  on  his  march  across  the 
Bakalahari  desert  in  quest  of  new  fields,  untrodden  by  the  Euro- 
pean. It  was  on  the  1st  of  June,  1849,  that  he,  in  company  with 
three  English  hunters,  started  upon  the  march,  provided  with 
oxen  and  horses  to  convey  their  baggage,  and  guides  to  direct  the 
way.  From  the  beginning  the  journey  was  a  painful  one,  for 
there  was  a  sandy  stretch  before  them  over  which  it  was  most 
difficult  +,o  draw  the  wagons.  The  distance  from  Mabotsa  to  Lake 
Ngami  is  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  two  points  west  of 
north.  Water  was  nowhere  obtainable  on  the  route  except  at 
Bushman  settlements,  which  were  so  far  apart  that  the  party 
often  went  for  forty  hours  without  wetting  their  parched  lips. 
Oxen  are  naturally  slow  travelers,  but  in  this  burning  waste  they 
sometimes  made  only  six  miles  a  day,  being  so  nearly  overcome 
by  heat  and  thirst  that  any  attempt  to  drive  them  further  would 
have  caused  their  death.  Hartebeests  and  antelopes  were  very 
numerous  notwithstanding  the  want  of  water,  which  led  Living- 
stone to  examine  the  alimentary  canal  of  several  that  he  killed,  in 
order  that  he  might  discover  by  what  peculiar  endowment  nature 
enabled  them  to  subsist  without  water  so  long ;  but  he  found 
nothing  in  them  that  was  not  common  to  other  animals. 


THE  WORLD*S   WONDERS.  295 

A   REMARKABLE    SALT    BASIN. 

AT  Nchokotsa,  a  little  more  than  half-way  from  Mabotsa  to 
Ngami,  the  party  came  upon  a  great  number  of  salt  basins, 
covered  with  an  efflorescence  of  lime.  This  salt  basin,  which  is 
twenty  miles  in  circumference,  is  obscured,  however,  in  approach- 
ing from  the  southeast,  by  a  thick  belt  of  mopane  trees  ;  and,  at 
the  time  the  basin  burst  upon  their  view,  the  setting  sun  was 
casting  a  beautiful  blue  haze  over  the  wide  incrustations,  making 
the  whole  look  exactly  like  a  lake.  Here  not  a  particle  of  imagi- 
nation was  necessary  to  enable  them  to  believe  that  they  were 
gazing  upon  a  large  body  of  water;  the  waves  seemed  to  dance 
along  the  shore,  and  the  shadows  of  the  trees  were  vividly  reflected 
beneath  the  surface  in  such  an  admirable  manner  that  the  loose 
cattle  and  the  horses,  dogs,  and  even  the  Hottentots,  ran  off 
toward  the  deceitful  lake.  A  herd  of  zebras  in  the  mirage  looked 
so  exactly  like  elephants  that  preparations  were  made  to  pursue 
them,  but  a  break  in  the  haze  dispelled  the  illusion. 

DISCOVERY   OF   LAKE   NGAMI. 

ON  August  1,  1849,  exactly  two  months  after  leaving  Mabotsa, 
the  party  came  in  sight  of  Lake  Ngami,  they  being  the  first  white 
men  that  had  ever  gazed  upon  its  placid  bosom.  The  lake  is  not 
very  large,  perhaps  fifty  miles  in  circumference,  but  it  is  the 
basin  for  many  rivers,  which  pour  their  waters  into  it  during  the 
wet  season  until  it  inundates  an  immense  district  of  country. 
One  of  the  principal  rivers  which  flow  into  it  from  the  south  is 
the  Zouga,  a  considerable  stream,  but  remarkable  chiefly  for  its 
fish  and  the  prodigious  amount  of  game  that  lines  its  shores. 
Elephants  and  a  new  species  of  antelope,  called  leche,  were 
particularly  numerous,  but  the  former  are  inferior  in  size  to 
those  found  further  south. 

The  natives  of  this  locality,  called  Bakurutse,  who  are  gener- 
ally  friendly,  live  chiefly  on  fish,  which  they  spear,  and  also  catch 
in  nets  that  are  woven  exactly  like  fish-nets  in  America ;  and 
with  these  they  catch  such  great  quantities  that  they  do  not 
pretend  to  consume  them  all. 


296  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

After  some  days  spent  on  the  banks  of  the  lake,  Livingstone 
resolved  upon  a  visit  to  Sebituane,  chief  of  the  Makololos,  three 
hundred  miles  north,  there  to  begin  again  his  missionary  labors. 
As  Oswell  and  Murray  were  elephant  hunters,  they  acre  sepa- 
rated from  Livingstone  and  continued  their  sport  in  the  sur- 
rounding country,  but  not  without  first  giving  a  quantity  of  new 
dres '  goods  to  Mrs.  Livingstone,  for  herself  and  three  children, 
who  were  greatly  in  need  of  clothes,  their  old  ones  being  fairly 
in  tatters. 

Six  months  after  his  arrival  at  the  Makololo  country,  Living- 
stone met  Mr.  Oswell  again,  and  together  they  traveled  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  northeast,  to  a  place  called  Sesheke, 
which  was  near  the  very  centre  of  the  continent.  On  hunting 
through  this  country  they  fortunately  discovered  the  Zambesi 
river,  one  of  the  most  considerable  streams  in  Africa,  being  fron? 
three  hundred  to  six  hundred  yards  broad  at  extreme  low  water, 
and  rising  twenty  feet  perpendicularly  at  its  flood. 

Livingstone  met  with  difficulties  in  the  Makololo  country  which 
he  had  not  anticipated  :  the  people  were  hospitable,  but  had 
recently  engaged  in  the  slave-trade,  which  seemed  to  render  them 
impervious  to  Christian  teaching.  Mrs,  Livingstone  and  her 
children  were  also  suffering  severely  from  fever,  which  resisted 
all  the  remedies  and  became  so  serious  that  he  decided  to  return 
to  Cape  Town  with  them,  and  from  there  send  them  to  England, 
and  then  return  to  Makololo  to  prosecute  his  work  alone.  This 
he  accomplished,  and  was  much  encouraged  to  see  his  family 
greatly  improved  in  health  when  they  took  passage  on  the  vessel 
for  home. 

STRANGE   DISEASES   AND   PECULIARITIES   OF   ANIMALS. 

LIVINGSTONE  procured  several  oxen  and  two  guides  to  Cape 
Town,  with  such  necessaries  as  his  journey  required,  and  started 
on  his  return  to  the  Makololo  country,  nearly  fifteen  hundred 
miles  from  the  Cape.  Being  free  from  anxiety,  he  describes  this 
trip  as  a  pleasant  picnic,  for  all  the  people  on  his  route  were 
friendly,  hundreds  of  whom  received  medical  and  surgical  atten- 
tion from  him ;  for  his  fame  as  a  physician  seemed  to  precede 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  297 

him,  so  that  at  every  village  great  crowds  came  begging  his  pro- 
fessional services. 

Being  in  no  special  haste,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  hunting 
and  studying  the  animal  life  which  came  under  his  observation. 
He  was  somewhat  astonished  to  learn,  in  dissecting  the  large 
game  which  he  killed,  that  it  was  subject  to  most  annoying  and 
fatal  diseases,  not  wholly  unlike  those  from  which  our  domestic 
animals  suffer.  He  saw  several  gnu,  giraffes,  buffaloes,  harte- 
beestes,  etc.,  afflicted  with  a  mangy  disorder,  from  which  they 
died  with  a  frothing  at  the  nostrils.  He  saw  one  buffalo  blind 
from  ophthalmy,  andrhinoceri  that  were  worried  by  worms  which 
infested  the  conjunction  of  the  eyes. 

The  carnivora,  too,  become  diseased  and  mangy;  lions  grow 
lean  and  perish  miserably  by  reason  of  the  decay  of  the  teeth. 
When, a  lion  becomes  too  old  to  catch  game,  he  frequently  takes 
to  killing  goats  in  the  villages  ;  a  woman  or  child  happening  to 
go  out  at  night  falls  a  prey,  too  ;  and  as  this  is  his  only  source  of 
subsistence  now,  he  continues  it.  From  this  circumstance  has 
arisen  the  idea  that  the  lion,  when  he  has  once  tasted  human 
flesh,  loves  it  better  than  any  other.  A  man-eater  is  invariably 
an  old  lion  ;  and  when  he  overcomes  his  fear  of  man  so  far  as  to 
come  to  villages  for  goats,  the  people  remark,  "His  teeth  are 
worn,  he  will  soon  kill  men.*'  They  at  once  acknowledge  the 
necessity  of  instant  action,  and  turn  out  to  kill  him.  When 
living  far  away  from  population,  or  when,  as  is  the  case  in  some 
parts,  he  entertains  a  wholesome  dread  of  the  Bushmen,  as  soon 
as  either  disease  or  old  age  overtakes  him,  he  begins  to  catch 
mice  and  other  small  rodents,  and  even  to  eat  grass  ;  the  latter 
may  be  eaten  as  medicine,  however,  as  is  observed  in  dogs. 

When  encountered  in  day  time,  the  lion  stands  a  second  or 
two  gazing,  then  turns  slowly  round,  and  walks  away  for  a  dozen 
paces,  looking  over  his  shoulder;  then  begins  to  trot,  and  when 
he  thinks  himself  out  of  sight  bounds  off  like  a  greyhound. 
By  day  there  is  not,  as  a  rule,  the  least  danger  of  lions  which 
are  not  molested  attacking  man,  or  even  on  a  clear  moonlight 
night,  except  when  breeding ;  at  such  times  they  will  brave 


298  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

almost  any  danger ;  and  if  a  man  happens  to  cross  to  the  wind- 
ward of  them,  both  lion  and  lioness  will  rush  at  him,  in  the  man- 
ner of  a  bitch  with  whelps.  This  does  not  often  happen,  and 
Livingstone  knew  of  only  two  or  three  instances  of  the  kind. 
In  one  case  a  man,  passing  where  the  wind  blew  from  him  to  the 
animals,  was  bitten  before  he  could  climb  a  tree  ;  occasionally  a 
man  on  horseback  has  been  caught  by  the  leg  under  the  same 
circumstances.  So  general,  however,  is  the  sense  of  security  on 
noonlight  nights,  that  travelers  seldom  tie  up  their  oxen,  but  let 
them  lie  loose  by  the  wagons  ;  while  on  a  dark,  rainy  night,  if  a 
lion  is  in  the  neighborhood,  he  is  almost  sure  to  venture  to  kill 
an  ox.  His  approach  is  always  stealthy,  except  when  wounded  ; 
and  any  appearance  of  a  trap  is  enough  to  cause  him  to  refrain 
from  making  the  last  spring.  This  seems  charateristic  of  the 
feline  species. 

When  a  lion  is  very  hungry,  and  lying  in  wait,  the  sight  of  an 
animal  may  make  him  commence  stalking  it.  In  one  case  a  man, 
while  stealthily  crawling  toward  a  rhinoceros,  happened  to  glance 
behind  him,  and  found  to  his  horror  a  lion  stalking  him  ;  he  only 
escaped  by  springing  up  a  tree  like  a  cat.  At  Lopepe  a  lioness 
sprang  on  the  after  quarter  of  Mr.  OswelPs  horse,  and  when  his 
companions  came  up  to  him  they  found  the  marks  of  the  claws 
on  the  horse,  and  a  scratch  on  Mr.  O's  hand.  The  horse,  on 
feeling  the  lion  on  him,  sprang  away,  and  the  rider,  caught  by  a 
wait-a-bit  thorn,  was  brought  to  the  ground  and  rendered  insen- 
sible. His  dogs  saved  him.  Another  English  gentleman  (Cap- 
tain Codrington)  was  surprised  in  the  same  way,  though  not 
hunting  the  lion  at  the  time,  but  turning  round  he  shot  him  dead 
in  the  neck.  By  accident  a  horse  belonging  to  Codrington  ran 
away,  but  was  stopped  by  the  bridle  catching  a  stump  ;  there  he 
remained  a  prisoner  two  days,  and  when  found  the  whole  space 
around  was  marked  by  the  footprints  of  lions.  They  had  evi- 
dently been  afraid  to  attack  the  haltered  horse  from  fear  that  it 
was  a  trap.  Two  lions  came  up  by  .night  to  within  three  yards 
of  Livingstone's  oxen,  which  were  tied  to  a  wagon,  and  a  sheep 
tied  to  a  tree,  and  stood  roaring  but  afraid  to  make  a  spring. 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


299 


Most  of  the  feats  of  strength  which  Livingstone  saw  performed 
'by  lions,  such  as  the  taking  away  an  ox,  etc.,  were  not  by  carry- 
ing, but  by  dragging  the  carcass  along  the  ground.  They  will 
spring,  on  some  occasions,  on  to  the  hind-quarters  of  a  horse, 


but  no  one  has  ever  seen  them  on  the  withers  of  a  giraffe.  They 
do  not  mount  on  the  hind-quarters  of  an  eland  even,  but  try  to 
tear  it  down  with  their  claws. 


300  TIIK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Oswell  and  Vardon,  while  hunting  together  once,  saw  three 
lions  endeavoring  to  drag  down  a  buffalo  which  was  mortally 
wounded,  but  they  were  unable  to  do  so.  This  very  exciting 
circumstance  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Vardon  in  a  letter  to  Liv- 
ingstone:  "  Oswell  and  I  were  riding  this  afternoon  along  the 

C  o  O 

banks  of  the  Limpopo,  when  a  water-buck  started  in  front  of  us. 
I  dismounted  and  was  following  it  through  the  jungle,  when  three 
buffaloes  got  up,  and,  after  going  a  short  distance,  stood  still, 
and  the  nearest  bull  turned  round  and  looked  at  me.  A  ball 
from  the  two  ouncer  crashed  into  his  shoulder,  and  they  all  three 
made  off.  Oswell  and  I  followed  as  soon  as  I  had  reloaded,  and 
when  we  were  in  sight  of  the  buffalo,  and  gaining  on  him  at  every 
stride,  three  lions  leaped  on  the  unfortunate  brute  ;  he  bellowed 
most  lustily  as  he  kept  up  a  kind  of  running  fight,  but  he  was, 
of  course,  soon  overpowered  and  pulled  down.  We  had  a  Hue 
view  of  the  struggle,  and  saw  the  lions  on  their  hind  legs  tearing 
away  with  teeth  and  claws  in  most  ferocious  style.  We  crept  up 
within  thirty  yards,  and,  kneeling  down,  blazed  away  at  the  lions. 
My  rifle  was  a  single  barrel,  and  I  had  no  spare  £un.  One  lion 
fell  dead  almost  on  the  buffalo  ;  he  had  merely  time  to  turn 
toward  us,  seize  a  bush  with  his  teeth,  and  drop  dead  with  the  stick 
in  his  jaws.  The  second  made  off  immediately ;  and  the  third 
raised  his  head,  coolly  looked  round  for  a  moment,  then  went  on 
tearing  and  biting  at  the  carcass  as  hard  as  ever.  We  retired  a 
short  distance  to  load,  then  again  advanced  and  fired.  The  lion 
made  off,  but  a  ball  that  he  received  ought  to  have  stopped  him, 
as  it  went  clean  through  his  shoulder-blade.  He  was  followed 
up  and  killed,  after  having  charged  several  times.  Both  lions 
were  males.  It  is  not  often  that  one  bags  a  brace  of  lions  and  a 
bull  buffalo  in  about  ten  minutes.  It  was  an  exciting  adventure, 
and  I  shall  never  forjret  it." 

o 

In  general  the  lion  seizes  the  animal  he  is  attacking  by  the 
flank  near  the  hind-leg,  or  by  the  throat  below  the  jaw.  It  is 
questionable  whether  he  ever  attempts  to  seize  an  animal  by  the 
withers.  The  flank  is  the  most  common  point  of  attack,  and  that 
is  the  part  he  begins  to  feast  on  first.  The  natives  and  lions  are 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


301 


very  similar  in  their  tastes  in  the  selection  of  tid-bits  :  an  eland 
may  be  seen  disemboweled  by  a  lion  so  completely  that  he 
scarcely  seems  cut  up  at  all.  The  bowels  and  fatty  parts  form  a 
full  "*>eal  for  even  the  largest  lion.  The  jackal  conies  sniffing 


about,  and  sometimes  suffers  for  his  temerity  by  a  stroke  from 
the  lion's  paw  laying  him  dead.  When  gorged,  the  lion  falls  fast 
asleep,  and  is  then  easily  dispatched.  Hunting  a  lion  with  dogs 
involves  very  little  danger  as  compared  with  hunting  the  Indian 


302  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

tiger,  because  the  dogs  bring  him  out  of  cover  and  make  him 
stand  at  bay,  giving  the  hunter  plenty  of  time  for  a  good  delib- 
erate shot.  A  man  is  in  much  more  danger  of  being  run  over 
when  walking  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  than  he  is  of  being 
devoured  by  lions  in  Africa,  unless  engaged  in  hunting  the  animal. 

The  lion  has  other  checks  on  inordinate  increase  besides  man. 
He  seldom  attacks  full-grown  animals  ;  but  frequently,  when  a 
buffalo  calf  is  caught  by  him,  the  cow  rushes  to  the  rescue,  and 
a  toss  from  her  often  kills  him  It  is  questionable  if  a  single 
lion  ever  attacks  a  full-grown  buffalo.  The  amount  of  roaring 
heard  at  night,  on  occasions  when  a  buffalo  is  killed,  seems  to 
indicate  there  are  always  more  than  one  lion  engaged  in  the 
onslaught. 

On  the  plain,  south  of  Sebituane's  ford,  a  herd  of  buffaloes 
kept  a  number  of  lions  from  their  young  by  the  males  turning 
their  heads  to  the  enemy.  The  young  and  the  cows  were  in  the 
rear.  One  toss  from  a  bull  would  kill  the  strongest  lion  that 
ever  breathed.  Livingstone  says  that  in  one  part  of  India  even 
the  tame  buffaloes  feel  their  superiority  to  some  wild  animals, 
for  they  have  been  seen  to  chase  a  tiger  up  the  hills,  bellowing  as 
if  they  enjoyed  the  sport.  Lions  never  go  near  any  elephants 
except  the  calves,  which,  when  young,  are  sometimes  torn  by 
them  ;  every  living  thing  retires  before  the  lordly  elephant,  yet 
a  full-grown  one  would  be  an  easier  prey  than  the  rhinoceros ; 
the  lion  rushes  off  at  the  mere  sight  of  this  latter  beast. 

SERPENTS. 

THE  Zouga  river,  besides  attracting  large  numbers  of  wild 
game  to  its  waters,  seems  also  to  be  the  resort  of  many  serpents, 
not  a  few  of  which  are  of  the  most  venomous  kind.  Livingstone 
mentioned  having  seen  one  at  Kolobeng  of  a  dark  brown,  nearly 
black  color,  that  measured  eight  feet  three  inches  in  length  ;  and 
it  continued  to  distil  clear  poison  for  several  hours  after  its  head 
was  cut  off.  This  serpent  is  so  copiously  supplied  with  poison 
that  it  can  strike  an  ox  dead.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  "  spit- 
ting serpent,"  and  is  believed  to  be  able  to  eject  its  poison  a 
considerable  distance. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  303 

Along  the  reedy  and  marshy  banks  of  the  Zouga  are  also 
found  several  species  of  vipers,  and  that  most  dangerous  serpent, 
the  puff  adder,  which,  when  angered,  distends  the  skin  about  its 
reck  to  wonderful  proportions,  and  is  so  vicious  that  it  will 
readily  attack  anything,  whether  man  or  beast.  There  is  a  snake 
peculiar  to  this  region  which  the  natives  call  "Noga-putsane," 
or  serpent  of  a  kid,  so  named  because  at  night  it  utters  a  cry 
exactly  like  the  bleating  of  that  little  animal.  Cobras  are  quite 
numerous  and  greatly  feared  by  the  people,  yet  it  is  seldom  that 
any  one  is  bitten  by  them,  as  they  usually  give  ample  warning 
by  rearing  up  and  swaying  their  heads  back  and  forth  several 
times  before  striking.  The  large  python,  measuring  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  in  length,  is  also  found  near  the  Zouga.  Their 
bite  is  harmless,  but  they  often  kill  and  devour  animals  of 
medium  size,  which  they  crush  and  swallow  like  the  boa  con- 
strictor ;  generally,  however,  their  food  is  small  animals,  such  as 
field  mice,  rats,  etc.  The  python  is  hunted  by  the  natives  for 
its  flesh,  which  they  greatly  esteem,  indeed  preferring  it  to  the 
flesh  of  nearly  all  animals. 

TEACHING   THE    NATIVES. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  journey  was  a  pleasant  one,  Living- 
stone was  glad  when  he  arrived  at  Makololo,  for  much 
traveling  becomes  tedious  however  great  the  attractions  may 
be  on  the  route.  He  found  a  hearty  welcome  among  the 
people,  and  everything  propitious  for  the  establishment  of  a 
successful  missionary  school.  He  invited  the  chiefs  to  come 
first,  but  they  held  books  in  mysterious  awe,  fearing  there 
was  some  lurking  danger  in  a  thing  which  could  relate 
incidents  that  had  transpired  in  remote  localities.  At  length 
Mat i be,  father-in-law  of  the  principal  chief,  Sekeletu,  offered 
himself  as  a  student,  but  he  affected  the  disposition  of  a 
doctor  who  must  first  take  his  own  medicine  in  order  to 
show  his  patients  that  it  contains  no  poisonous  ingredient. 
Gradually  the  school  increased,  and  so  soon  as  one  had  mas- 
tered the  rudiments  he  was  sent  out  to  become  a  teacher  of 
others. 


304  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

LUDICROUS  SCENES  AT   CHURCH. 

ON  each  Sunday  Livingstone  held  religious  service,  which  was 
very  largely  attended,  but  not  always  with  becoming  seriousness 
or  beneficial  effects.  When  all  knelt  down,  many  of  those  who 
had  children,  in  following  the  example  of  the  rest,  would  bend 
over  their  little  ones  ;  the  children,  in  terror  of  being  crushed  to 
death,  would  set  up  a  simultaneous  yell,  which  so  tickled  the 
whole  assembly  that  there  was  often  a  subdued  titter,  to  be 
turned  into  a  hearty  laugh  as  soon  as  they  heard  Amen.  Long 
after  Livingstone  had  settled  at  Mabotsa,  when  preaching  on  the 
most  solemn  subject,  a  woman  might  be  observed  to  look  round, 
and,  seeing  a  neighbor  seated  on  her  dress,  give  her  a  hunch  with 
the  elbow  to  make  her  move  off ;  the  other  would  return  it  with 
interest,  and  perhaps  the  remark,  "  Take  the  nasty  thing  away, 
will  you?"  Then  three  or  four  would  begin  to  hustle  the  first 
offenders,  and  the  men  to  swear  at  them  all,  by  way  of  enforc- 


ing silence. 


INCIDENTS    OF    TRAVEL. 


AFTER  laying  the  foundation  fora  mission  at  Makololo,  having 
taught  several  of  the  tribe  to  read,  Livingstone  departed  for  the 
northwest,  having  for  his  ultimate  destination  Loanda,  which 
is  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Coanza  where  it  empties  into  the 
Atlantic  ocean.  Sekeletu  had  taken  such  an  interest  in  the  mis- 
sion and  was  so  devoted  to  Livingstone  that  he  resolved  to 
accompany  his  white  friend  a  considerable  portion  of  the  journey, 
and  provided  an  escort  to  protect  him  from  harm. 

Being  fully  prepared  for  a  long  trip,  with  provisions,  oxen  and 
guides,  Livingstone  departed  from  Makololo,  taking  his  route 
along  the  Leeambye  river,  on  which  he  had  several  canoes 
launched  that  were  of  great  service  in  transporting  the  baggage. 
The  country  was  generally  fine,  and  thickly  inhabited,  but  none 
of  the  natives  manifested  hostility,  being  disposed  rather  to 
friendly  curiosity  on  observing  the  first  white  man  who  had  ever 
visited  them.  Approaching  the  Loeti  river  they  came  upon  a 
number  of  hippopotamus  hunters  who  fled  with  every  indication 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  305 

of  terror  upon  seeing  Livingstone,  whom  they  no  doubt  regarded 
as  some  mysterious  being. 

The  numbers  of  large  game  above  Libonta  are  prodigious,  and 
they  proved  remarkably  tame.  Eighty-one  buffaloes  defiled  in 
slow  procession  before  the  camp-fire  one  evening,  within  gun- 
shot ;  and  herds  of  splendid  elands  stood  by  day,  without  fear, 
at  t\vo  hundred  yards  distance.  They  were  all  of  the  striped 
variety,  and  with  their  forearm  markings,  large  dewlaps,  and 
sleek  skins,  were  a  beautiful  sight  to  see.  The  lions  here  roar 
much  more  than  in  the  country  near  the  lake.  One  evening 
they  had  a  good  opportunity  of  hearing  the  utmost  exertions  the 
animal  can  make  in  that  line.  They  had  made  their  beds  on  a 
large  sand-bank,  and  could  be  easily  seen  from  all  sides.  A 
lion  on  the  opposite  shore  amused  himself  for  hours  by  roaring 
as  loudly  as  he  could,  putting,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  his 
mouth  near  the  ground,  to  make  the  sound  reverberate.  The 
river  was  too  broad  for  a  ball  to  reach  him,  so  they  let  him  enjoy 
himself,  certain  that  he  durst  not  have  been  guilty  of  the  im- 
pertinence in  the  Bushman  country.  Wherever  the  game  abounds, 
these  animals  exist  in  proportionate  numbers.  Here  they  were 
very  frequently  seen,  and  two  of  the  largest  seemed  about  as 
tall  as  common  donkeys  ;  but  the  mane  made  their  bodies  appear 
rather  larger. 

SINGULAR  BIRDS,  REPTILES  AND  ANIMALS. 

ROWING  along  the  river,  there  were  always  interesting  sights 
of  birds,  reptiles,  and  animals.  Fish-hawks  sailed  through  the 
air,  or  attacked  the  full-pouched  pelican  ;  the  alligator-bird,  the 
tinc-tinc-tinc,  or  iron-beating  bird,  the  great  ibis,  the  rhinoceros- 
bird,  and  a  thousand  other  singular  species.  Numbers  of  iguanos 
sat  sunning  themselves  on  overhanging  branches  of  trees.  They 
are  highly  esteemed  as  an  article  of  food,  so  the  chief  boatman 
sits  at  the  bow  of  his  canoe  armed  with  a  javelin  to  spear  those 
that  are  not  too  quickly  out  of  sight. 

The  rapids  in  the  part  of  the  river  between  Katima-molelo  and 
Nameta  are  relieved  by  several  reaches  of  still,  deep  water,  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  long.  In  these  very  large  herds  of  hippopotami 

ao 


306 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


are  seen,  and  the  deep  furrows  they  make  in  ascending  the  banks 
to  graze  during  the  nights,  are  everywhere  apparent.  They  are 
guided  back  to  the  water  by  the  scent,  but  a  long-continued  pour- 
ing rain  makes  it  impossible  for  them  to  perceive,  by  that  means, 
in  which  direction  the  river  Hes,  and  they  are  found  bewildered 
on  the  land.  The  hunters  take  advantage  of  their  helplessness 


on  these  occasions  to  kill  them. 
It  is  impossible  to  judge  of  the 
numbers  in  a  herd,  for  they  are 
almost  always  hidden  beneath 
the  waters  ;  but  as  they  require 
to  come  up  every  few  minutes  to 
breathe,  when  there  is  a  con- 
stant succession  of  heads  thrown  up  then  the  herd  is  supposed 
to  be  large.  They  love  a  still  reach  of  the  stream,  as  in  the  more 
rapid  parts  of  the  channel  they  are  floated  down  so  quickly  that 
much  exertion  is  necessary  to  regain  the  distance  lost  by  fre- 
quently swimming  up  again :  such  constant  exertion  disturbs 
them  in  their  nap.  They  prefer  to  remain  by  day  in  a  drowsy. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  307 

yawning  state,  and,  though  their  eyes  are  open,  they  take  little 
notice  of  things  at  a  distance.  The  males  utter  a  loud  succession 
of  snorting  grunts,  which  may  be  heard  a  mile  off.  Livingstone 
says  that  in  passing  over  a  wounded  one  in  a  canoe  a  distinct 
grunting  was  elicited,  though  the  animal  lay  entirely  under  water. 
The  young,  when  very  little,  take  their  stand  on  the  neck  of 
the  dam,  and  the  small  head,  rising  above  the  larger,  comes  soon- 
est to  the  surface.  The  dam,  knowing  the  more  urgent  need  of 
her  calf,  comes  more  frequently  to  the  surface  when  it  is  in  her 
care.  But  in  the  rivers  of  Loanda,  where  they  are  much  in  danger 
of  being  shot,  even  the  hippopotamus  gains  wit  by  experience  ; 
for,  while  those  in  the  Zambesi  put  up  their  heads  openly  to  blow, 
those  referred  to  keep  their  noses  among  water-plants,  and 
breathe  so  quietly  that  one  would  not  dream  of  their  existence 
in  the  river  except  by  footprints  on  the  banks. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

DANGERS    FROM   ALLIGATORS. 

PART  of  Livingstone's  company  marched  along  the  banks  with 
the  oxen,  and  part  went  in  the  canoes,  but  their  pace  was  regu- 
lated by  the  speed  of  the  men  on  shore.  Their  course  was  rather 
difficult,  on  account  of  the  numbers  of  departing  and  re-entering 
branches  of  the  Leeambye,  which  they  had  to  avoid  or  wait  at 
till  ferried  over.  The  number  of  alligators  is  prodigious,  and 
in  this  river  they  are  more  savage  than  in  some  others.  Many 
children  are  carried  off  annually  at  Sesheke  and  other  towns  ; 
for,  notwithstanding  the  danger,  when  they  go  down  for  water 
they  almost  always  must  play  a  while.  This  reptile  is  said  by 
the  natives  to  strike  the  victim  with  its  tail,  then  drag  him  in  and 
drown  him.  When  lying  in  the  water  watching  for  prey,  the 
body  never  appears.  Many  calves  are  lost  also,  and  it  is  seldom 
that  a  number  of  cows  can  swim  over  at  Sesheke  without  some 


308  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

loss.  Livingstone  says  he  never  could  avoid  shuddering  on  seeing 
his  men  swimming  across  these  branches,  after  one  of  them  had 
been  caught  by  the  thigh  and  taken  below.  He,  however,  retained, 
as  nearly  all  of  them  in  the  most  trying  circumstances  do,  his 
full  presence  of  mind,  and  having  a  small,  square,  ragged-edged 
javelin  with  him,  when  dragged  to  the  bottom  gave  the  alligator 
a  stab  behind  the  shoulder.  The  alligator,  writhing  in  pain,  left 
him,  and  he  came  out  with  the  deep  marks  of  the  reptile's  teeth 
on  his  thigh. 

The  great  abundance  of  game  which  was  constantly  met  with 
was  consoling  to  the  invariably  hungry  natives,  but  on  account  of 
certain  difficulties  it  had  its  unpleasant  features  to  Livingstone. 
He  tried  in  vain  to  instruct  certain  men  in  his  company  how  to 
shoot,  but  with  all  his  care  they  fired  so  wildly  that  if  they  had 
been  his  sole  reliance  all  the  ammunition  must  have  been  expended 
without  any  game  to  show  for  it ;  thus  the  shooting  all  devolved 
on  Livingstone,  His  arm  had  never  recovered  fully  from  the 
lion's  bite,  which  he  received  nearLabotse,  as,  owing  to  the  lack 
of  proper  surgical  attention,  the  broken  and  crushed  bone  had 
not  united  well.  Continual  hard  manual  labor,  and  several  falls 
from  oxen  had  lengthened  the  ligament  by  which  the  ends  of  the 
bones  were  united,  and  a  false  joint  was  the  consequence.  On 
this  account  he  could  not  himself  shoot  well,  and  a  great  part 
of  his  time  had  to  be  spent  hunting  in  order  to  supply  his  men 
with  meat. 

AMONG   FEMALE  CHIEFS. 

PASSING  out  of  the  Leeambye  river,  which  in  some  places 
further  east  is  called  the  Zambesi,  Livingstone's  party  came  to 
another  river  called  the  Luba.  He  was  now  among  the  Balonda 
people,  a  tribe  that  has  a  vague  idea  of  spirit  life,  which  we  may 
possibly  call  religion,  but  instead  of  this  idea  benefiting  them,  it 
has  a  contrary  effect,  for  their  superstitions  only  seem  to  degrade 
them  the  more.  They  file  their  teeth  to  a  point  and  tattoo  them- 
selves in  various  parts,  but  chiefly  on  the  abdomen  :  the  skin  is 
raised  in  small  elevated  cicatrices,  each  nearly  a  half  an  inch  long 
and  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  so  that  a  number  of  them 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  309 

may  constitute  a  star  or  other  device.  The  dark  color  of  the 
skin  prevents  any  coloring  matter  being  deposited  in  these  figures, 
but  they  love  much  to  have  the  whole  surface  of  their  bodies 
anointed  with  a  comfortable  varnish  of  oil.  Sheakondo  was 
chief  of  the  Barotse  tribe,  and  his  wife  ruled  over  the  Balonda, 
a  neighboring  people,  considerably  intermixed  with  the  former. 
Beyond  these  is  another  tribe  of  Balonda,  over  whom  the  great 
female  chief,  Nyamoana,  ruled.  She  was  reputed  to  have  been 
a  woman  of  much  cunning  and  immense  influence,  due  principally 
to  her  powers  of  necromancy.  Nyamoana  treated  Livingstone 
in  a  most  hospitable  manner,  and  besides  giving  him  some  oxen, 
insisted  on  furnishing  a  guide  to  conduct  him  to  the  next  village, 
which  was  also  governed  by  a  woman,  named  Manenko.  She 
was  a  finely  formed  young  woman,  having  no  other  covering 
upon  her  person  than  a  thick  daubing  of  yellow  ochre.  She  was 
a  dealer  in  charms,  and  when  one  of  Livingstone's  Masiko  guides 
entered  a  tent  of  her  tribe  without  first  requesting  permission, 
she  expressed  her  belief  that  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  leaving 
some  wicked  charm  ;  she  therefore  raised  a  big  row  and  detained 
the  party  two  days.  Like  women  in  general,  this  chief  suddenly 
changed  her  mind,  and  became  as  friendly  as  at  first.  She  not 
only  suffered  Livingstone  to  depart  in  peace,  but  accompanied 
him  to  the  next  village,  named  Kabompo,  which  contained  many 
thousand  people,  ruled  by  a  chief  called  Shinte.  Here  Living- 
stone was  treated  to  a  royal  reception,  at  which  Shinte  sat  on  his 
throne  and  had  his  warriors  go  through  their  military  exercise  of 
leaping  and  throwing  spears. 

AN   AMUSING    SHOW. 

OWING  to  the  fact  that  Livingstone  was  now  suffering  from  an 
enervating  fever,  he  was  unable  for  several  days  to  visit  Shinte 
as  that  chief  had  repeatedly  requested  him  to  do.  When  he  was 
a  little  recovered,  however,  he  called  upon  the  chief,  and  to 
amuse  him  exhibited  a  magic  lantern  which  threw  pictures  life- 
size.  Shinte  at  once  sent  for  all  his  wives  and  the  dignitaries  of 
his  small  court,  and  upon  their  assembling,  the  show  was  begun. 
The  first  picture  exhibited  was  Abraham  about  to  slaughter  his 


310  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

son  Isaac ;  it  was  shown  as  large  as  life,  and  the  uplifted  knife 
was  in  the  act  of  striking  the  lad  ;  the  Balonda  men  remarked 
that  the  picture  was  much  more  like  a  god  than  the  things  of 
wood  or  clay  they  worshiped.  Livingstone  explained  that  this 
man  was  the  first  of  a  race  to  whom  God  had  given  the  Bible, 
now  held,  and  that  among  his  children  our  Savior  appeared. 
The  ladies  listened  with  silent  awe  ;  but  when  he  moved  the 
slide,  the  uplifted  dagger  moving  toward  them,  they  thought  it 
was  to  be  sheathed  in  their  bodies  instead  of  Isaac's.  "Mother  ! 
mother  !"  all  shouted  at  once,  and  off  they  rushed  helter-skelter, 
tumbling  pell-mell  over  each  other,  and  over  the  little  idol-huts 
and  tobacco-bushes :  nor  could  they  be  induced  to  come  back 
a^ain.  Shinte,  however,  sat  bravely  through  the  whole  perform- 
ance and  afterward  examined  the  instrument  with  interest.  An 
explanation  was  always  added  after  each  time  of  showing  its 
powers,  so  that  no  one  should  imagine  there  was  aught  super- 
natural in  it. 

HOW    SHINTE    PROVED    HIS    LOVE. 

IT  being  now  in  the  rainy  season,  everything  was  so  wet  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  procure  guides,  and  more  especially 
since  Shinte  had  contracted  such  a  great  liking  for  Livingstone 
that  he  was  anxious  to  detain  him,  believing  that  so  long  as  the 
white  man  remained  in  the  village  there  would  befall  himself  and 
people  nothing  but  good  luck  and  pleasure. 

One  miserably  rainy  day,  while  Livingstone  was  alone  in  his 
tent,  Shinte  stepped  in  as  though  anxious  no  one  should  observe 
him  ;  after  examining  such  curiosities  as  a  looking-glass,  books, 
hair-brushes,  comb,  watch,  etc.,  he  closed  the  tent  opening  that 
no  one  might  witness  the  extravagance  of  which  he  was  about  to 
be  guilty.  He  then  drew  out  from  his  limited  clothing  a  string 
of  beads  and  the  end  of  a  conical  shell,  which  he  hung  about 
Livingstone's  neck  with  the  remark,  "There,  now,  you  have  a 
proof  of  my  friendship."  The  value  of  this  present  in  the  esti- 
mation of  Shinte  was  very  great,  for  such  a  shell  is  considered  in 
that  region  of  as  much  value  as  the  Lord  Mayor's  badge  in  Eng- 
land. For  two  of  them  a  slave  might  be  bought,  and  five  would  be 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  311 

considered  a  handsome  price  for  an  elephant's  tusk  worth  in 
England  $150. 

AFRICAN    ETIQUETTE. 

AFTER  leaving  Shinte,  Livingstone  proceeded  northward,  and 
he  observed  that  the  guides  furnished  him  at  the  various  villages 
had  much  more  etiquette  than  any  of  the  tribes  further  south. 
They  would  not  partake  of  food  which  they  had  given  to  his 
party,  nor  would  they  eat  their  own  food  in  their  presence. 
When  it  was  cooked  they  retired  into  a  thicket  and  ate  their  por- 
ridge ;  then  all  stood  up  and  clapped  their  hands  and  praised 
Intemese  for  it. 

The  dress  of  the  Balonda  men  consists  of  the  softened  skins 
of  small  animals,  as  the  jackal  or  wild  cat,  hung  before  and  behind 
from  a  girdle  round  the  loins.  The  dress  of  the  women  is  of  a 
nondescript  character  ;  but  they  were  not  immodest.  They  stand 
before  strangers  perfectly  unconscious  of  any  indecorum.  But, 
while  ignorant  of  their  own  deficiency,  they  could  not  maintain 
their  gravity  at  the  sight  of  the  nudity  of  Livingstone's  men 
behind.  Much  to  their  annoyance  the  young  girls  laughed  out- 
right whenever  their  backs  were  turned  to  them. 

THE    TAILLESS    OX. 

WHILE  passing  through  a  village  governed  by  a  chief  named 
Tonga  Panza  one  of  the  guides  deserted,  and  stealing  some  articles 
from  the  chief,  made  off.  The  chief  held  Livingstone  responsible 
for  the  loss  of  his  property,  as  he  had  brought  the  thief  into  the 
country,  and  the  controversy  came  near  ending  in  a  row  ;  but  in 
order  to  avoid  such  a  calamity,  Livingstone  agreed  to  give  Panza 
an  ox  in  place  of  the  stolen  articles.  It  happened  that  the  ox  had 
lost  part  of  his  tail,  which  led  the  natives  to  suspect  that  it  had 
been  purposely  cut  off  and  some  witchcraft  medicine  inserted, 
whereupon  they  rejected  the  ox  and  another  had  to  be  substi- 
tuted. Livingstone  now  had  only  four  oxen  left,  and,  seizing 
upon  the  idea  which  this  incident  had  suggested,  he  had  his  men 
cut  off  a  part  of  each  of  their  tails,  in  which  "  magical"  con- 
dition he  had  no  difficulty  in  retaining  them. 


312  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ST.  PAUL  DE  LOANDA. 

THE  objective  point  of  the  expedition  was  the  Portuguese  set- 
tlement  of  St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  on  the  southwestern  coast  of 
Africa,  and  as  they  drew  near  the  sea,  Livingstone  observed 
that  his  men  became  very  uneasy.  On  ascending  some  hills  near 
the  town  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  ocean,  which  the  men  re- 
garded  with  the  utmost  awe.  On  describing  their  feelings  after- 
ward, they  remarked  that  "we  marched  along  with  our  father, 
believing  that  what  the  ancients  had  always  told  us  was  true, 
that  the  world  has  no  end  ;  but  all  at  once  the  world  said  to  us, 
'  I  am  finished  :  there  is  no  more  of  me  ! '  They  had  always 
imagined  that  the  world  was  one  extended  plain  without  limit. 

Livingstone  arrived  at  Loanda  on  the  31st  of  May,  1854, 
almost  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  severe  dysentery. 

Loanda,  with  a  population  of  twelve  thousand  souls,  con» 
tained  but  a  single  Englishman,  who  was  a  commissioner  for 
the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  This  man  looked  upon  Liv- 
ingstone as  a  brother,  and  took  him  at  once  to  his  house,  giving 
him.  his  own  bed  and  making  him  comfortable  in  every  way. 

A  JOURNEY  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT. 

LIVINGSTONE  remained  at  Loanda  nearly  four  months,  much 
of  which  time  he  was  bedridden  by  fever,  although  under  excel- 
lent medical  care  all  the  while.  There  was  an  English  man-of- 
war  anchored  in  Loanda  or  Bengo  bay,  the  surgeon  of  which 
devoted  most  assidious  attention  to  the  traveler,  but  he  was  so 
emaciated  and  debilitated  and  the  malaria  had  such  firm  hold  that 
his  system  was  almost  incapable  of  rallying,  and  thus,  despite 
his  anxiety  to  return  to  the  interior  and  open  up  a  route  across 
the  continent  by  way  of  the  Zambesi  river,  he  was  forced  to 
either  keep  to  his  bed  or  act  with  great  prudence  during  a  long 
convalesence. 

During  his  stay  in  Loanda,  when  able  to  sit  up,  he  wrote  sev- 
eral letters  which  were  published  in  the  town  paper,  elaborating 
his  plan  for  opening  up  an  interior  and  transcontinental  trade, 
which  so  commended  itself  to  the  Portuguese  residents  that  they 
proffered  him  such  aid  as  he  might  require  to  complete  his  pur- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  313 

poses.  The  merchants  gave  to  each  of  his  men  a  good  horse  and 
an  elegant  uniform,  and  also,  by  a  public  subscription,  presented 
to  Livingstone  handsome  specimens  of  all  their  articles  of  trade, 
and  two  donkeys. 

Having  at  length  recovered  from  the  fever,  he  prepared  to  re- 
enter  Africa  and  make  a  crossing  by  way  of  the  Zambesi,  if  that 
should  prove  possible,  which  his  slight  knowledge  of  the  stream 
led  him  to  believe  could  be  done. 

He  says  :  "  I  took  with  me  a  good  stock  of  cotton  cloth,  fresh 
supplies  of  ammunition  and  beads,  and  gave  each  of  my  men  a 
musket.  As  my  companions  had  amassed  considerable  quantities 
of  goods,  they  were  unable  to  carry  mine,  but  the  bishop  fur- 
nished me  with  twenty  carriers,  and  sent  forward  orders  to  all  the 
commandants  of  the  districts  through  which  we  were  to  pass  to 
render  me  every  assistance  in  their  power.  Being  now  supplied 
with  a  good  new  tent  made  by  my  friends  on  board  the  Philo- 
mel, we  left  Loanda  on  the  20th  of  September,  1854,  and  passed 
round  by  sea  to  the  mouth  of  the  River  Bengo." 

He  ascended  the  Bengo  for  a  hundred  miles  and  then  took  to 
the  country,  passing  over  the  same  route  he  had  come  for  several 
hundred  miles,  as  he  found  any  deviation  from  the  regular  route 
impracticable.  In  order  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  district 
generally,  he  made  short  incursions  on  transverse  water-ways  to 
villages,  in  many  of  which  he  found  primitive  iron  works  and 
sugar  refineries,  which  had  been  abandoned,  no  doubt,  on  account 
of  wars,  for  there  were  proofs  that  they  had  been  profitable  when 
unmolested. 

AMONG   THE   ANGOLAS. 

ONE  of  the  most  interesting  people  whose  country  borders  the 
Bengo  river,  and  also  the  Atlantic,  are  the  Angola  tribe,  which  at 
one  time  possessed  a  higher  culture  than  at  present.  Through- 
out their  country  may  still  be  seen  ruins  of  convents  and  forts, 
as  well  as  of  manufacturing  industries.  They  have  greatly  retro- 
gradedj  but  from  what  cause  is  indifferently  understood.  The 
chief  recreations  of  the  natives  of  Angola  are  marriages  and 
funerals.  When  a  young  woman  is  about  to  be  married,  she  is 


814 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  315 

placed  in  a  hut  alone  and  anointed  with  various  unguents,  and 
many  incantations  are  employed  in  order  to  secure  good  fortune 
and  faithfulness.  Here,  as  almost  everywhere  in  the  south,  the 
height  of  good  fortune  is  to  bear  sons.  They  often  leave  a 
husband  altogether  if  they  have  daughters  only.  In  their  dances, 
when  any  one  may  wish  to  deride  another,  in  the  accompanying 
song  a  line  is  introduced,  "  So-and-so  has  no  children,  and  never 
will  get  any."  She  feels  the  insult  so  keenly  that  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  her  to  rush  away  and  commit  suicide.  After  some 
days  the  bride  elect  is  taken  to  another  hut,  and  adorned  with  all 
the  richest  clothing  and  ornaments  that  the  relatives  can  either 
lend  or  borrow.  She  is  then  placed  in  a  public  situation,  saluted 
as  a  lady,  and  presents  made  by  all  her  acquaintances  are  placed 
around  her.  After  this  she  is  taken  to  the  residence  of  her  hus- 
band, where  slie  has  a  hut  for  herself,  and  becomes  one  of  several 
wives,  for  polygamy  is  general.  Dancing,  feasting,  and  drinking 
on  such  occasions  are  prolonged  for  several  days.  In  case  of 
separation,  the  woman  returns  to  her  father's  family,  and  the 
husband  receives  back  what  he  gave  for  her.  In  nearly  all  cases 
a  man  gives  a  high  price  for  a  wife,  and  in  case  of  mulattoes,  as 
much  as  $300  are  often  given  to  the  parents  of  the  bride. 

In  cases  of  death  the  body  is  kept  several  days,  and  there  is  a 
grand  concourse  of  both  sexes,  with  beating  of  drums,  dances, 
and  debauchery,  kept  up  with  feasting,  etc.,  according  to  the 
means  of  the  relatives.  The  great  ambition  of  many  of  the 
blacks  of  Angola  is  to  give  their  friends  an  expensive  funeral. 
Often,  when  one  is  asked  to  sell  a  pig,  he  replies,  "  I  am  keeping 
it  in  case  of  the  death  of  any  of  my  friends."  A  pig  is  usually 
slaughtered  and  eaten  on  the  last  day  of  the  ceremonies,  and  its 
head  thrown  into  the  nearest  stream  or  river.  A  native  will 
sometimes  appear  intoxicated  on  these  occasions,  and,  if  blamed 
for  his  intemperance,  will  reply,  "Why  !  my  mother  is  dead  !" 
as  if  he  thought  it  a  sufficient  justification.  The  expenses  of 
funerals  are  so  heavy  that  often  years  elapse  before  they  can 
defray  them. 


316  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

X 

A    CURIOUS    INSECT. 

IN  the  Angola  country  there  is  found  a  very  singular  insect, 
which  inhabits  trees  of  the  fig  family.  Seven  or  eight  of  these 
small  bugs  cluster  around  a  spot,  generally  on  a  small  branch  of 
the  tree,  and  there  keep  up  a  constant  distillation  of  a  clear  fluid 
which,  dropping  to  the  ground,  forms  a  little  puddle  below.  If 
a  vessel  is  placed  under  them  in  the  evening  it  will  contain  three 
or  four  pints  of  fluid  in  the  morning.  Naturalists  assert  that  the 
water  thus  obtained  is  really  the  tree  sap  which  these  insects,  by 
a  process  they  do  not  attempt  to  explain,  draw  from  the  tree, 
but  Livingstone,  after  making  many  experiments,  denies  this, 
and  says  the  fluid  is  undoubtedly  obtained  by  a  condensation  of 
the  atmosphere,  but  he  does  not  undertake  to  explain  how  it  is 
done. 

AFRICAN   ANTS. 

AT  Tola  Mungongo,  about  four  hundred  miles  east  of  Loanda, 
Livingstone's  attention  was  called  to  a  peculiar  red  ant  that 
infests  that  part  of  the  country.  He  accidentally  trod  upon  one 
of  their  nests,  and  hardly  an  instant  seemed  to  elapse  before  a 
simultaneous  attack  was  made  on  various  parts  of  his  body,  up 
the  trousers'  legs  from  below  and  on  his  neck  and  breast  above. 
The  bites  of  these  furies  were  like  sparks  of  fire,  and  the  only 
means  of  ridding  himself  of  them  was  by  hurriedly  removing  his 
clothing  and  picking  them  off  one  by  one.  It  is  astonishing  how 
such  small  bodies  can  contain  such  an  amount  of  ill-nature.  They 
not  only  bite,  but  twist  themselves  round  after  the  mandibles  are 
inserted,  to  produce  laceration  and  pain,  more  than  would  be 
effected  by  the  simple  bite.  They  are  very  useful  in  consuming 
the  dead  animal  matter  of  the  country,  and  when  they  visit 
human  habitations  they  clean  them  entirely  of  the  destructive 
white  'ants  and  other  vermin.  The  severity  of  their  attacks  is 
greatly  increased  by  their  vast  numbers,  and  rats,  mice,  lizards, 
and  even  the  great  python ,  when  in  a  state  of  surfeit  from  recent 
feeding^  fall  victims  to  their  fierce  onslaught.  When  an  ox  is 
slaughtered  the  natives  are  compelled  to  build  fires  around  the 
carcass  to  prevent  the  red  ants  from  devouring  it. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  317 

FATAL  SUPERSTITIONS. 

IN  the  Cassanga  country,  which  adjoins  that  of  Mungongo,  the 
people  are  extremely  superstitious,  and  pray  to  a  god  whom  they 
call  Barimo.  They  believe  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead,  instead 
of  taking  up  their  abode  in  remote  regions,  remain  always  with 
the  tribe  and  spend  their  time  in  vexing  the  living.  A  person 
accused  of  witchcraft  must  consent  to  undergo  the  ordeal  of 
drinking  a  tea  made  from  an  infusion  of  a  poisonous  tree  ;  if  the 
first  dose  nauseates  and  causes  the  stomach  to  reject  it,  the 
accused  must  drink  again,  so  that  death  is  certain.  The  same 
superstitious  ideas  being  prevalent  through  the  whole  of  the 
country  north  of  the  Zambesi,  seems  to  indicate  that  the  people 
must  originally  have  been  one.  In  sickness,  sacrifices  of  fo\vls 
and  goats  are  made  to  appease  the  spirits.  It  is  imagined  that 
they  wish  to  take  the  living  away  from  earth  and  all  its  enjoy- 
ments. When  one  man  has  killed  another  a  sacrifice  is  made, 
as  if  to  lay  the  spirit  of  the  victim.  A  sect  is  reported  to  exist 
who  kill  men  in  order  to  take  their  hearts  and  offer  them  to  the 
Barimo.  The  chieftainship  is  elective  from  certain  families. 
Among  the  Bangalas  of  the  Cassanga  valley  the  chief  is  chosen 
from  three  families  in  rotation.  A  chief's  brother  inherits  in 
preference  to  his  son.  The  sons  of  a  sister  belong  to  her  brother ; 
and  he  often  sells  his  nephews  to  pay  his  debts.  By  this  and 
other  unnatural  customs,  more  than  by  war,  is  the  slave-market 
supplied.  The  prejudices  in  favor  of  these  practices  are  very 
deeply  rooted  in  the  native  mind.  Even  at  Loanda  they  retire 
out  of  the  city  in  order  to  perform  their  heathenish  rites  without 
the  cognizance  of  the  authorities.  Their  religion,  if  such  it  may 
be  called,  is  one  of  dread.  Numbers  of  charms  are  employed  to 
avert  the  evils  with  which  they  feel  themselves  to  be  encompassed. 

DREAD  OF    WHITE    MEN. 

AMONG  nearly  all  the  nations  of  South  Africa  the  sight  of  a 
white  person  excites  terror.  In  the  villages  the  dogs  run  away 
with  their  tails  between  their  legs,  as  if  they  had  seen  a  lion. 
The  women  peer  from  behind  the  walls  till  he  comes  near  them, 


318  THE  WORLD'S  "WONDERS. 

and  then  hastily  dash  into  the  house.  When  a  little  child,  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  meets  you  in  the  street,  he  sets  up  a  scream  at 
the  apparition,  and  conveys  the  impression  that  he  is  not  far 
from  going  into  fits.  Among  the  Bechuanas  Livingstone  was 
often  obliged  to  reprove  the  women  for  making  a  hobgoblin  of 
the  white  man,  and  telling  their  children  that  they  would  send 
for  him  to  bite  them. 

AFRICAN   DANDIES. 

ON  a  rivulet  called  Tamba,  Livingstone  found  a  people  of  a 
light  olive  color,  who  were  timid  and  civil.  They  file  their  teeth 
to  a  point,  which  makes  the  smile  of  the  women  frightful,  as  it 
reminds  one  of  the  grin  of  an  alligator.  Many  of  the  men  are 
dandies ;  their  shoulders  are  always  wet  with  the  oil  dripping 
from  their  lubricated  hair,  and  everything  about  them  is  orna- 
mented in  one  way  or  another.  Some  thrum  a  musical  instrument 
the  livelong  day,  and  when  they  wake  at  night  proceed  at  once 
to  their  musical  performance.  Many  of  these  musicians  are  too 
poor  to  have  iron  keys  to  their  instruments,  but  make  them  of 
bamboo,  and  persevere,  though  no  one  hears  the  music  but 
themselves.  Others  try  to  appear  warlike  by  never  going  out 
of  their  hut  except  with  a  load  of  bows  and  arrows,  or  a  gun 
ornamented  with  a  strip  of  hide  for  every  animal  they  have  shot; 
and  others  never  go  anywhere  without  a  canary  in  a  cage.  Ladies 
may  be  seen  carefully  tending  little  lap-dogs,  which  are  intended 
to  be  eaten.  Their  villages  are  generally  in  forests,  and  composed 
of  groups  of  irregularly-planted  brown  huts,  with  banana  and 
cotton  trees  and  tobacco  growing  around.  Round  baskets  are 
laid  on  the  thatch  of  the  huts  for  the  hens  to  lay  in,  and  on  the 
arrival  of  strangers,  men,  women,  and  children  ply  their  calling 
as  hucksters  with  a  great  deal  of  noisy  haggling ;  all  their 
transactions  are  conducted  with  civil  banter  and  good  temper. 

NARROW  ESCAPE    FROM   A   BUFFALO. 

LIVINGSTONE  tarried  a  few  days  with  his  good  friend  Shinte, 
already  spoken  of,  and  then  began  a  descent  of  the  Leeba  river. 
This  is  a  beautiful  stream,  and  aside  from  its  tranquil,  clear 
bosom,  its  banks  are  adorned  with  a  rich  and  varied  vegetable 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  319 

production,  while  game  is  found  in  great  abundance.  As  they 
arrived  at  a  village  on  the  river  bank?  several  of  the  inhabitants 
came  out  and  entreated'Livingstone  to  attack  a  herd  of  buffaloes 
that  were  then  feeding  in  the  village  garden,  and  so  tame  were 
the  animals  that  he  was  able  to  come  within  six  yards  of  them. 
His  arm  was  so  badly  disabled  by  the  lion  bite  already  described, 
that  he  could  shoot  only  with  the  greatest  effort  and  uncertainty, 
which  made  him  a  very  inferior  shot.  Presently  he  saw  a  large 
buffalo  running  directly  toward  him,  evidently  with  hostile  inten- 
tions. He  glanced  around,  but  the  only  tree  on  the  plain  was  a 
hundred  yards  off,  and  there  was  no  escape  elsewhere.  He 
therefore  cocked  his  rifle,  with  the  intention  of  giving  the  buffalo 
a  steady  shot  in  the  forehead  when  he  should  come  within  three 
or  four  yards.  The  thought  flashed  across  his  mind,  "  What  if 
your  gun  misses  fire?"  He  placed  it  to  his  shoulder  as  the  brute 
came  on  at  full  speed,  and  that  is  tremendous,  though  generally 
he  is  a  lumbering-looking  animal  in  his  paces.  A  small  bush  and 
bunch  of  grass  fifteen  yards  off  made  him  swerve  a  little  and 
expose  his  shoulder.  Livingstone  fired,  and  heard  the  ball  strike, 
at  the  same  time  falling  flat  on  his  face.  The  pain  must  have 
made  the  buffalo  renounce  his  purpose,  for  he  bounded  close  past 
and  on  to  the  water,  where  he  was  found  dead, 

CAPSIZED    BY   A    HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

UPON  reaching  Libonta,  in  the  Makololo  country,  and  the 
neighboring  villages,  Livingstone  was  received  with  manifesta- 
tions of  much  joy  by  the  simple-hearted  natives.  There  were 
some  awkward  scenes  at  this  reception,  however;  several  of  the 
Makololos  who  had  left  their  wives  to  accompany  him  to  Loanda, 
upon  returning  now  found  them  remarried,  and  not  a  few  had 
children  to  show  by  their  new  husbands.  But  as  polygamy  is 
almost  universally  practiced  among  all  African  tribes,  their  feel- 
ings are  naturally  blunted  in  regard  to  such  things,  and  they  are 
but  little  thought  of. 

Livingstone  left  Naliele  on  the  13th  of  August,  and  while  pro- 
ceeding along  the  shore  at  midday  a  hippopotamus  struck  the  canoe 
with  her  forehead,  lifting  one-half  of  it  quite  out  of  the  water, 


320 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


so  as  nearly  to  overturn  it.     The  force  of  the  butt  tilted  Mash- 
auana,  ona  of  the  natives,  out  into  the  river ;  the  rest  sprang  to 


ife.'l3%iK"ii*pa 


the  shore,  which  was  only  about  ten  yards  off.  Glancing  back, 
Livingstone  saw  the  hippopotamus  come  to  the  surface  a  short 
way  off,  and  look  to  the  canoe,  as  if  to  see  if  she  had  done  much 
mischief.  It  was  a  female,  whose  young  one  had  been  speared 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  321 

the  day  before.  No  damage  was  done  except  wetting  their  per- 
sons and  goods.  The  attack  was  so  unusual  an  occurrence,  when 
the  precaution  is  taken  to  coast  along  the  shore,  that  the  men 
exclaimed,  "Is  the  beast  mad?"  There  were  eight  in  the  canoe 
at  the  time,  and  the  shake  it  received  shows  the  immense  power 
of  this  animal  in  the  water. 

THE   WONDERFUL,   VICTORIA   FALLS. 

LIVINGSTONE  continued  down  the  river,  and  being:  in  the  vicin- 

O 

ity  of  Victoria  Falls  resolved  to  visit  them.  The  Leeba  river  had 
now  given  place  to  the  Leeambye,  which  is  further  east  called 
the  Zambesi,  ail  being  one  and  the  same,  only  called  differently 
by  the  natives  of  the  northeast,  south,  central  and  eastern  tribes. 
Approaching  to  where  the  rapids  begin  he  saw  an  island  quite 
large  enough  for  a  considerable  town,  and  upon  going  ashore  he 
found  the  grave  of  a  chief,  named  Sekote,  ornamented  with 
seventy  large  elephant  tusks  planted  round  it  with  the  points 
turned  inward.  This  was  an  indication  of  his  wealth  and  great- 
ness. 

The  falls  of  Victoria,  called  by  the  natives  Mosioatunya,  or 
more  anciently  Shongwe,  were  not  far  off,  and  on  the  following 
day  he  pushed  on  with  only  one  native  as  a  guide,  and  soon  came 
near  enough  to  see  five  great  columns  of  vapor  ascending  and 
moving  off  like  smoke,  descending  again  in  torrents  of  rain  upon 
a  thick  covert  of  trees  a  mile  or  more  distant.  Describing  this 
sight  and  the  falls,  Livingstone  says : 

*  *  *  "  No  one  can  imagine  the  beauty  of  the  view  from 
any  thing  witnessed  in  England.  It  had  never  been  seen  before 
by  European  eyes;  but  scenes  so  lovely  must  have 'been  gazed 
upon  by  angels  in  their  flight.  The  only  want  felt  is  that  of 
mountains  in  the  background.  The  falls  are  bounded  on  three 
sides  by  ridges  300  or  400  feet  in  height,  which  are  covered  with 
forest,  with  the  red  soil  appearing  among  the  trees.  When  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  falls,  I  left  the  canoe  by  which  we  had  come 
down  thus  far,  and  embarked  in  a  lighter  one,  with  men  well 
acquainted  with  the  rapids,  who,  by  passing  down  the  centre  of 
the  stream  in,  the  eddies  and  still  places  caused  by  many  jutting 
21  w 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEBS. 


THE  -WORLD'S  WO:XDEI;S.  323 

rocks,  brought  me  to  an  island  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  river » 
and  on  the  edge  of  the  lip  over  which  the  water  rolls.  In  com- 
ing hither  there  was  danger  of  being  swept  down  by  the  streams 
which  rushed  along  on  each  side  of  the  island  ;  but  the  river  was 
now  low,  and  we  sailed  where  it  is  totally  impossible  to  go  when 
the  water  is  high.  But,  though  we  had  reached  the  island,  and 
were  within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot,  a  view  from  which  would 
solve  the  whole  problem,  I  believe  that  no  one  could  perceive 
where  the  vast  body  of  water  went ;  it  seemed  to  lose  itself  in 
the  earth,  the  opposite  lip  of  the  fissure  into  which  it  disappeared 
being  only  80  feet  distant.  At  least  I  did  not  comprehend  it 
until,  creeping  with  awe  to  the  verge,  I  peered  down  into  a  large 
rent  which  had  been  made  from  bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zam- 
besi, and  saw  the  stream  of  a  thousand  yards  broad  leap  down 
a  hundred  feet,  and  then  become  suddenly  compressed  into  a 
space  of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.  The  entire  falls  are  simply  a 
crack  made  in  a  hard  basaltic  rock  from  the  right  to  the  left 
bank  of  the  Zambesi  and  then  prolonged  from  the  left  bank 
away  through  thirty  or  forty  miles  of  hills." 

These  falls  are,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  greatest  natural 
curiosities  on  the  earth,  and  should  they  ever  become  accessible 
to  the  civilized  world  they  will  attract  millions  of  tourists  and 
pleasure-seekers.  Victoria  Falls  may  in  truth  be  designated  as 
one  of  the  "  World's  Wonders." 

After  indulging  in  a  long  view  of  the  falls,  measuring  the 
stream,  and  estimating  the  character  of  the  surrounding  soil  for 
garden  purposes,  Livingstone  planted  some  peach  and  apricot 
seeds,  and  some  coffee  grains,  on  the  little  island  shown  in  the 
illustration,  and  then  proceeded  on  his  journey  to  the  east  coast. 

CURIOUS   FRIENDSHIP   AMONG   ANIMALS    AND    BIRDS. 

ON  the  Kolomo  river  he  saw  an  elephant  which  had  no  tusks, 
a  sight  quite  as  rare  in  Africa  as  it  is  to  see  one  with  tusks  in 
Ceylon.  The  elephant  was  extremely  wary  and  made  off  with 
great  haste  at  sight  of  the  men.  Buffaloes  were  plentiful,  and 
shooting  into  a  herd,  Livingstone  brought  one  down  ;  the  others, 
not  perceiving  their  enemy,  tried  to  gore  their  wounded  comrade, 


324  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

and  in  so  doing  actually  lifted  him  with  their  horns  and  bore  him 
a  considerable  distance.  All  wild  animals  usually  gore  a  wounded 
companion  and  expel  it  from  the  herd  ;  even  zebras  bite  and 
kick  a  diseased  one.  This  instinct  is  a  wise  provision  of  nature 
to  prevent  any  but  the  perfect  and  healthy  from  propagating 
their  species. 

Among  the  great  numbers  of  buffaloes  Livingstone  noticed 
that  nearly  every  animal  was  attended  by  a  peculiar  bird,  which 
served  the  double  purpose  of  ridding  them  of  insects  and  sound- 
ing an  alarm  when  danger  threatened.  Rhinoceri  were  also 
plentiful,  and  these,  too,  were  followed  by  a  companion-bird, 
which  seemed  attached  to  the  huge  beast  out  of  pure  affection, 
for  owing  to  its  hard,  hairless  skin  it  is  not  much  troubled  with 
insects. 

One  species  of  this  bird  possesses  a  bill  of  a  peculiar  scoop  or 
stone  forceps  form,  as  if  intended  only  to  tear  off  insects  from 
the  skin  ;  and  its  claws  are  as  sharp  as  needles,  enabling  it  to 
hang  on  to  an  animal's  ear  while  performing  a  useful  service 
within  it.  This  sharpness  of  the  claws  allows  the  bird  to  cling 
to  the  nearly  insensible  cuticle  without  irritating  the  nerves  of 
pain  on  the  true  skin,  exactly  as  a  burr  does  to  the  human  hand. 

THE    MOTHER   ELEPHANT   AND    HER    CALF. 

ONE  evening,  on  the  Zambesi,  Livingstone  shot  an  elephant, 
and  on  the  following  day,  while  his  men  were  cutting  it  up,  great 
numbers  of  the  villagers  came  to  enjoy  the  feast.  They  were  on 
the  side  of  a  fine  green  \i  lley,  studded  here  and  there  with  trees 
and  cut  by  numerous  rivulets.  Livingstone  had  retired  from  the 
noise,  to  take  an  observation  among  some  rocks  of  laminated 
grit,  when  he  beheld  an  elephant  and  her  calf  at  the  end  of  the 
valley,  about  two  miles  distant.  The  calf  was  rolling  in  the 
mud,  and  the  dam  was  standing  fanning  herself  with  her  great 
ears.  As  he  looked  at  them  through  his  glass,  he  saw  a  long 
string  of  his  own  men  appearing  on  the  other  side  of  them, 
while  one  of  the  men  came  and  told  him  that  these  had  gone  off 
saying,  "Our  father  will  see  to-day  what  sort  of  men  he  has 
got."  He  then  went  higher  up  the  side  of  the  valley,  in  order 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  325 

to  have  a  distinct  view  of  their  mode  of  hunting.  The  beast, 
totally  unconscious  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  stood  for  some 
time  suckling  her  young  one,  which  seemed  about  two  years  old  ; 
theythen  went  into  a  pit  containing  mud,  and  smeared  themselves 
all  over  with  it,  the  little  one  frisking  about  his  dam,  flapping  his 
ears  and  tossing  his  trunk  incessantly,  in  elephantine  fashion. 
She  kept  flapping  her  ears  and  wagging  her  tail,  as  if  in  the 
height  of  enjoyment.  Then  began  the  piping  of  her  enemies, 
which  was  performed  by  blowing  into  a  tube,  or  the  hands  closed 
together,  as  boys  do  into  a  key.  They  called  out  to  attract  the 
animal's  attention, 

"  O  chief!  chief !  we  have  come  to  kill  you. 
O  chief!  chief!  many  morewilldie  besides  you,  etc. 
The  gods  have  said  it,"  etc.,  etc. 

Both  animals  expanded  their  ears  and  listened,  then  left  their 
bath  as  the  crowd  rushed  toward  them.  The  little  one  ran  for- 
ward toward  the  end  of  the  valley,  but,  seeing  the  men  there, 
returned  to  his  dam.  She  placed  herself  on  the  danger  side  of 
her  calf,  and  passed  her  proboscis  over  it  again  and  again,  as  if 
to  assure  it  of  safety.  She  frequently  looked  back  to  the  men, 
who  kept  up  an  incessant  shouting,  singing,  and  piping;  then 
looked  at  her  young  one  and  ran  after  it,  sometimes  sideways,  as 
if  her  feelings  were  divided  between  anxiety  to  protect  her  off- 
spring and  desire  to  revenge  the  temerity  of  her  persecutors. 
The  men  kept  about  a  hundred  yards  in  her  rear,  and  some  that 
distance  from  her  flanks,  and  continued  thus  until  she  was  obliged 
to  cross  a  rivulet.  The  time  spent  in  descending  and  getting  up 
the  opposite  bank  allowed  of  their  coming  up  to  the  edge,  and 
discharging  their  spears  at  about  twenty  yards  distance.  After 
the  first  discharge  she  appeared  with  her  sides  red  with  blood, 
and  beginning  to  flee  for  her  own  life,  seemed  to  think  no  more 
of  her  young.  Livingstone  sent  word  to  spare  the  calf.  It  ran 
very  fast,  but  neither  young  nor  old  ever  enter  into  a  gallop ; 
their  quickest  pace  is  only  a  sharp  walk.  Before  the  messenger 
could  reach  them,  the  calf  had  taken  refuge  in  the  water,  and 
was  killed.  The  pace  of  the  dam  gradually  became  slower.  She 


326  THE  WORLD'S  WOXDKHS. 

turned  with  a  shriek  of  rage,  and  made  a  furious  charge  bacK 
among  the  men.  They  vanished  at  right  angles  to  her  course,  or 
sideways,  and,  as  she  ran  straight  on,  she  went  through  the 
whole  part}'-,  hut  came  near  no  one  except  a  man  who  wore  a 
piece  of  cloth  on  his  shoulders.  Bright  clothing  is  always  dan- 
gerous in  these  cases.  She  charged  three  or  four  times,  and, 
except  in  the  first  instance,  never  went  farther  than  100  yards. 
She  often  stood  after  she  had  crossed  a  rivulet,  and  faced  the 
men,  though  she  received  fresh  spears.  It  was  by  this  process 
of  spearing  and  loss  of  blood  that  she  was  killed  ;  for  at  last, 
making  a  short  charge,  she  staggered  round  and  sank  down  dead 
in  a  kneeling  posture. 

ADVENTURES   WITH   WILD   ANIMALS. 

CHANGING  his  course  to  get  back  to  the  Zambesi  river,  Living- 
stone reached  a  great  plain  covered  with  broad-leaved  bushes,  in 
which  he  found  elephants  so  numerous  that  several  times  he  had 
to  shout  and  fire  his  gun  in  order  to  frighten  them  out  of  the 
path  so  as  to  enable  his  party  to  get  through.  At  an  open  space 
a  herd  of  buffaloes  came  trotting  up  to  the  oxen,  and  were  only 
driven  away  after  Livingstone  had  shot  one  of  their  number. 
The  elephants  are  generally  good  natured,  but  at  one  place  a 
female  with  three  young  ones  of  different  sizes  charged  through 
the  centre  of  the  extended  line  and  produced  a  panic  ;  one  of  the 
men  was  courageous  enough,  however,  to  thrust  a  spear  into  her 
side  which  caused  her  to  retreat  without  doing  any  injury. 

Along  the  Zambesi  Livingstone  found  enormous  flocks  of 
water-fowl,  chiefly  geese  and  ducks,  which,  having  never  been 
hunted  were  exceedingly  tame,  and  might  have  been  killed  with 
stones.  This  great  game  country,  which  perhaps  excels  that  of 
any  other  section  of  Africa,  was  near  the  conjunction  of  the 
Kaf ue  with  the  Zambesi  river. 

DUPERSTITION   RESPECTING   ALBINOS. 

OCCASIONALLY  white  or  albino  children  are  born  in  Africa,  and 
they  are  regarded  with  dread  and  superstition.  Livingstone 
relates  that  during  the  time  he  resided  at  Mabotsa,  a  woman 


THE   WORLD* S   WONDERS.  327 

came  to  the  station  with  a  fine  albino  boy.  The  father  had 
ordered  her  to  throw  him  away,  but  she  clung  to  her  offspring 
for  many  years.  He  was  remarkably  intelligent  for  his  age. 
The  pupil  of  the  eye  was  of  a  pink  color,  and  the  eye  itself  was 
unsteady  in  vision.  The  hair,  or  rather  wool,  was  yellow,  and 
the  features  were  those  common  among  the  Bechuanas.  Some 
time  after  Livingstone  left  the  place  the  mother  is  said  to  have 
become  tired  of  living  apart  from  the  father,  who  refused  to 
have  her  while  she  retained  the  son  :  so  she  took  him  out  one 
dav  and  killed  him  close  to  the  village. 

•/ 

In  some  tribes  a  case  of  tw'ns  renders  one  of  them  liable  to 
death  ;  and  an  ox  which,  while  lying  in  the  pen,  beats  the  ground 
with  its  tail,  is  treated  in  the  same  way.  It  is  thought  to  be 
calling  death  to  visit  the  tribe.  If  a  fowl  crows  before  midnight 
it  is  guilty  of  "tlolo,"  and  is  killed.  Livingstone's  men  often 
carried  them  sitting  on  their  guns,  and  if  one  began  to  crow  in 
a  forest  the  owner  would  give  it  a  beating,  by  way  of  teaching 
it  not  to  be  guilty  of  crowing  at  unseasonable  hours. 

SETTLING   DISPUTES. 

LIVINGSTONE  says  that  only  on  one  occasion  did  he  ever  wit- 
ness anything  like  a  fist-fight  between  natives.  An  old  woman, 
standing  by  his  camp,  continued  to  belabor  a  good-looking  young 
man  for  hours  with  her  tongue.  Irritated  at  last,  he  uttered 
some  words  of  impatience,  when  another  man  sprang  at  him, 
exclaiming,  "How  dare  you  curse  my  'Mama?'  "  They  caught 
each  other,  and  a  sort  of  pushing,  dragging  wrestling-match 
ensued.  The  old  woman  who  had  been  the  cause  of  the  affray 
wished  Livingstone  to  interfere,  and  the  combatants  themselves 
hoped  as  much ;  but  he  preferred  to  remain  neutral  and  allow 
them  to  fight  it  out.  It  ended  by  one  falling  under  the  other, 
both,  from  their  scuffling,  being  in  a  state  of  nudity.  They 
picked  up  their  clothing  and  ran  off  in  different  directions,  each 
threatening  to  bring  his  gun  and  settle  the  dispute  in  mortal  com- 
bat. Only  one,  however,  returned,  and  the  old  woman  continued 
her  scolding  till  thu  men,  fairly  tired  of  her  tongue,  ordered  her 
to  be  gone.  Their  disputes  are  usually  conducted  with  great 


329  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

volubility  and  noisy  swearing,  but  they  generally  terminates  by 
both  parties  bursting  into  a  laugh. 

PECULIARITIES    OF   THE    BATOKA   TRIBE. 

THE  Batokas  inhabit  a  part  of  the  country  near  the  Kaf  ue 
river.  They  are  friendly,  ami  came  out  in  great  numbers  to  see 
the  white  man,  bringing  with  them  presents  of  corn  and  provis- 
ions. The  men  go  entirely  naked.  They  walk  about  without  the 
smallest  sense  of  shame.  They  have  even  lost  the  tradition  of 
the  "fig-leaf."  Livingstone  asked  a  fine,  large-bodied  old  man 
if  he  did  not  think  it  would  be  better  to  adopt  a  little  covering. 
He  looked  with  a  pitying  leer,  and  laughed  with  surprise  at  being 
thought  at  all  indecent ;  he  evidently  considered  himself  above 
such  weak  superstition.  It  was  regarded  as  a  good  joke  when 
Livingstone  told  them  that  if  they  had  no  other  clothing,  they 
might  put  on  a  bunch  of  grass. 

Their  mode  of  salution  is  quite  singular.  They  throw  them- 
selves on  their  backs  on  the  ground,  and,  rolling  from  side  to 
side,  slap  the  outside  of  their  thighs  as  expressions  of  thankful- 
ness and  welcome,  uttering  the  words  "  Kina  bomba."  Living- 
stone says  that  this  method  of  salutation  was  to  him  very 
disagreeable,  and  he  never  could  get  reconciled  to  it.  He  would 
call  out,  "Stop,  stop  ;  don't  do  that ;"  but  they,  imagining  he 
was  dissatisfied,  only  tumbled  about  more  furiously,  and  slapped 
their  thighs  with  greater  vigor. 

"A  chief  named  Monze  came  to  us  one  Sunday  morning," 
says  Livingstone,  "  wrapped  in  a  large  cloth,  and  rolled  himself 
about  in  the  dust,  screaming  '  Kina  bomba,'  as  they  all  do.  The 
sight  of  great  naked  men  wallowing  on  the  ground,  though 
intended  to  do  mehonor,  wasal  ways  very  painful :  it  made  me  feel 
thankful  that  my  lot  had  been  cast  in  such  different  circumstances 
from  that  of  so  many  of  my  fellow-men.  One  of  his  wives 
accompanied  him  :  she  would  have  been  comely  if  her  teeth  had 
been  spared  :  she  had  a  little  battle-axe  in  her  hand,  and  helped 
her  husband  to  scream.  She  was  much  excited,  for  she  had 
seen  a  white  man  before." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


329 


ADVENTURE  WITH   THREE  BUFFALOES. 

One  day,  in  passing  through  some  thick  trees  and  brush,  Liv- 
ingstone and  his  men  were  surprised  by  the  sudden  appearance 


of  three  buffaloes,  which  had  scented  them,  and  imagining  they 
surrounded,  dashed  through  the  lines.     Livingstone's  ox 


330  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

set  off  at  a  gallop,  and  when  he  could  manage  to  glance  back  he 
saw  one  of  the  men  up  in  the  air  about  five  feet  above  a  buffalo, 
which  was  tearing  along  with  a  stream  of  blood  running  down 
his  flank.  The  poor  fellow  alighted  on  his  face,  and  though  he 
had  been  carried  on  the  horns  of  the  buffalo  about  twenty  yards 
before  getting  the  final  toss,  the  skin  was  not  pierced  nor  was  a 
bone  broken.  When  the  beasts  appeared  he  had  thrown  down 
his  load  and  stabbed  one  in  the  side.  It  turned  suddenly  upon 
him,  and  before  he  could  use  a  tree  for  safety,  carried  him  off- 
His  bruises  were  dressed,  and  in  about  a  week  he  was  able  to 
perform  his  customary  duties. 

COMPLETING   THE    JOURNEY. 

SHOOTING  of  elephants',  rhinoceri,  and  hyenas  was  a  daily 
occurrence,  but  no  special  incident  took  place  until  they  reached 
Tete,  which  is  on  the  Zambesi,  about  three  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast.  Here  Livingstone  was  greatly  astonished  to  find  a 
Portuguese  fort  and  settlement,  and  his  reception  was  of  the 
most  cordial  character.  The  commandant  provided  eveiy  dainty 
that  was  procurable,  and  lodged  his  guest  and  his  entire  party  in 
the  best  possible  manner. 

After  resting  a  few  days  a  canoe  was  obtained,  and  eight  of 
the  men  accompanied  Livingstone  to  Quilimane,  on  the  seaeoast* 
paddling  the  canoe  down  the  Zambesi.  One  of  the  men,  old 
Sekwebu,  had  become  so  attached  to  his  white  friend  that  he 
begged  to  accompany  him  to  England,  and  Livingstone  finally 
consented,  at  the  same  time  warning  him  that  he  might  die  if  he 
went  to  so  cold  a  country.  "That  is  nothing,"  replied  Sekwebu  ; 
"  let  me  die  at  your  feet." 

They  sailed  on  the  brig  "Frolic,"  and  reached  Mauritius  on 
the  12th  of  August,  1856.  Sekwebu  was  picking  up  English  and 
becoming  a  favorite  with  both  men  and  officers.  He  seemed  a 
little  bewildered,  everything  on  board  a  man-of-war  being  so  new 
and  strange ;  but  he  remarked  to  Livingstone  several  times, 
"Your  countrymen  are  very  agreeable,"  and  "What  a  strange 
country  this  is — all  water  together!"  When  they  reached  the 
Mauritius  a  steamer  came  out  to  tow  them  into  the  harbor.  The 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  331 

constant  strain  on  his  untutored  mind  seemed  now  to  reach  a 
climax,  for  during  the  night  he  became  insane.  He  had  descended 
into  a  boat,  and  when  Livingstone  attempted  to  go  down  and 
bring  him  into  the  ship,  he  ran  to  the  stern  and  said,  "  No  !  no  ! 
it  is  enough  that  I  die  alone.  You  must  not  perish  ;  if  you 
come  I  shall  throw  myself  into  the  water."  The  officers  pro- 
posed to  secure  him  by  putting  him  in  irons ;  but,  being  a  gen- 
tleman in  his  own  country,  Livingstone  objected,  knowing  that 
the  insane  often  retain  an  impression  of  ill  treatment,  and  he 
could  not  bear  to  have  it  said  in  Sekwebu's  country  that  he  had 
chained  one  of  the  principal  men  as  they  had  seen  slaves  treated. 
In  the  evening  a  fresh  accession  of  insanity  occurred  ;  he  tried 
to  spear  one  of  the  crew,  then  leaped  overboard,  and,  though  he 
could  swim  well,  pulled  himself  down  hand  under  hand  by  the 
chain  cable.  They  never  found  the  body  of  poor  Sekwebu. 


LIVINGSTONE'S 
SECOND  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XVHI. 

NOBLE   PURPOSES    OF   A    GREAT  MAN. 

THE  sixteen  years  which  Livingstone  had  spent  in  Africa  served 
to  largely  increase  the  spirit  of  adventure  which  first  led  him  to 
renounce  the  influences  of  civilization  for  the  barbarous  regions 
of  an  unknown  country.  He  was  restless  in  England,  and  longed 
to  return  and  continue  the  labors  he  had  begun  in  Africa.  K* 


332 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


longed  to  strike  a  death  blow  to  the  accursed  slave  trade,  which 
at  that  time  existed  in  nearly  all  parts  of  Africa,  destroying 
happy  families,  debasing  and  degrading  the  people,  and  keeping 


up  a  constant  state  of  alarm  which  rendered  futile  all  efforU  to 
civilize  or  Christianize  the  natives.  He  had  witnessed  happy 
domestic  scenes  in  Africa,  and  the  good  of  that  people  lay  close 
to  his  great  heart. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  333 

To  give  expression  to  his  wishes  he  wrote  several  papers  to  the 
English  Geographical  Society,  and  proposed  an  expedition  to  the 
Zambesi,  with  the  avowed  double  intention  of  promoting  com- 
mercial intercourse  with  the  interior  natives  and  suppressing,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  infamous  slave-trade,  which  flourished 
throughout  Africa  to  the  disgrace  of  the  civilized  world.  He 
also  wished  to  make  the  Zambesi  a  highway  by  which  commerce 
and  Christianity  could  pass  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 

A  considerable  fund  was  raised,  one  gentleman  contributing 
$5,000,  to  aid  the  expedition,  which  was  organized  and  set  sail 
on  the  10th  of  March,  1858.  Livingstone  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  also  his  brother  Charles,  and  Dr.  Kirk,  superintendent 
of  the  Kew  Gardens,  London.  They  embarked  on  the  steamer 
Pearl,  and  carried  with  them  a  steam  launch,  in  sections.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi,  the  launch  was  put  together, 
and  in  this  an  ascent  of  the  river  was  begun.  Owing  to  several 
sand-bars  in  the  lower  end  of  the  Zambesi,  after  penetrating  a 
few  miles  it  was  found  that  a  lateral  stream,  named  the  Kongone, 
was  more  easily  navigated,  and  into  this  the  launch  was  turned. 
The  banks  of  this  stream,  which  is  a  branch  of  the  Zambesi, 
were  lined  with  a  profusion  of  tropical  growth,  mangroves, 
screw-palms,  and  climbing  plants,  which  imparted  a  most  pictur- 
esque and  charming  view. 

LAUGHING    RATS. 

ONE  hundred  miles  from  the  Zambesi's  mouth  Livingstone 
discovered  the  river  Shire,  which  was  such  a  considerable  stream 
that  he  ascended  it  several  hundred  miles,  until  he  entered  a  large 
lake,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  Nyassa.  He  coasted  the  lake  a 
distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  and  found  it  to  be  a  basin 
into  which  a  great  portion  of  Central  Africa  is  drained.  He 
found  the  slave-trade  flourishing  here  to  a  fearful  extent,  pro- 
moted by  continual  wars,  in  which  all  prisoners  on  either  side 
were  reduced  to  slavery.  Criminals  were  also  sold  into  slavery. 

From,  Lake  Nyassa  the  expedition  returned  down  the  Shire  to 
Mazaro,  where  they  camped  two  days,  preparatory  to  following 
up  the  Zambesi.  During  this  stop  they  were  grievously  annoyed 


334  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

by  a  singular  species  of  rat,  whose  continual  laughing  was  sorely 
perplexing  and  uncanny.  They  were  so  numerous  that  n  atight 
sleep  was  impossible,  on  account  of  their  boldness  in  scampering 
over  the  men,  and  their  loud,  unceasing  "he  I  he  !  he  !"  almost 
exactly  like  a  human  laugh.  Any  effort  to  get  rid  of  them  was 
certain  to  be  followed  by  a  most  diabolical  "he-he-ing,"  so 
weird  as  to  be  suggestive  of  the  infernal  regions. 

AMONG   ELEPHANTS. 

LIVINGSTONE  was  now  in  the  elephant  country  again,  and  every 
day  there  was  some  adventure  with  these  animals.  One  morning 
the  launch  ran  into  a  herd  that  was  bathing  in  the  river,  and 
so  frightened  were  they  that  a  young  one  was  caught.  Its 
screams  attracted  the  dam,  which  came  immediately  to  the  rescue 
of  her  calf  ;  but  ropes  were  thrown  over  the  little  one  so  quickly, 
while  the  vessel  moved  off  rapidly,  that  she  was  left  behind.  The 
little  fellow  was  brought  on  board  and  soon  became  quite  friendly, 
but,  unfortunately,  one  of  the  natives  employed  on  the  boat  had 
cut  his  proboscis  during  the  capture,  from  which  it  died  after 
several  days. 

On  the  same  day  a  large  female  elephant  was  killed,  and  as  it 
was  then  growing  late  a  halt  was  made  for  the  night.  The  ele- 
phant was  cut  up,  a  big  fire  lighted,  and  a  royal  feast  began. 
Says  Livingstone  :  "  We  had  the  elephant's  forefoot  cooked  for 
ourselves  in  native  fashion.  A  large  hole  was  dug  in  the  ground, 
in  which  a  fire  was  made  :  and  when  the  inside  was  thoroughly 
heated,  the  entire  foot  was  placed  in  it,  and  covered  over  with 
the  hot  ashes  and  soil ;  another  fire  was  made  above  the  whole, 
and  kept  burning  all  night.  We  had  the  foot  thus  cooked  for 
breakfast  next  morning,  and  found  it  delicious.  It  is  a  whitish 
mass,  slightly  gelatinous,  and  sweet,  like  marrow.  A  long  march, 
to  prevent  biliousness,  is  a  wise  precaution  after  a  meal  of  ele- 
phant's foot.  Elephant's  trunk  and  tongue  are  also  good,  and, 
after  long  simmering,  much  resemble  the  hump  of  a  buffalo  and 
the  tongue  of  an  ox  ;  but  all  the  other  meat  is  tough  and,  from 
its  peculiar  flavor,  only  to  be  eaten  by  a  hungry  man.  The  quan- 
tities of  meat  our  men  devour  is  quite  astounding.  They  boil  a§ 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


335 


much  as  their  pots  will  hold,  and  eat  till  it  becomes  physically 
impossible  for  them  to  stow  away  any  more.  An  uproarious 
dance  follows,  accompanied  with  stentorian  song  ;  and  as  soon  as 
they  have  shaken  their  first  course  down,  and  washed  off  the 


and  dust  of  the  after  performance,  they  go  to  work  to 
roast  more ;  a  short  snatch  of  sleep  succeeds,  and  they  are  up 
and  at  it  again  ;  an  night  long  it  is  boil  and  eat,  roast  and  devour, 
with  a  few  brief  interludes  of  sJeep, 


336  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  Portuguese  had  introduced  rum  into  the  country  through 
which  they  were  now  traveling,  in  connection  with  the  slave 
trade,  and  its  painfully  degrading  effects  were  manifested  among 
the  people.  One  chief  remarked  that  the  white  men  were  greatly 
favored  by  their  God,  who  was  so  kind  as  to  send  them  guns 
and  powder  from  heaven,  and  to  cause  rivers  of  rum  to  flow 
through  their  country  all  the  year  round.  He  said  he  would 
like  to  live  on  the  banks  of  such  a  river. 

WILD  DOGS. 

THE  expedition  proceeded  up  the  river  above  three  hundred 
miles,  to  the  head  of  navigation,  and  from  thence  by  oxen,  don- 
keys, and  on  foot  to  a  place  near  Bazizulu,  where  there  is  a  very 
dense  jungle.  Here  the  attention  of  Charles  Livingstone  was 
attracted  by  a  ferocious  yelping  like  dogs  fighting.  Proceeding 
forward  to  locate  the  sound,  he  was  astonished  to  behold  a  troop 
of  dogs  wrangling  over  the  remains  of  a  buffalo,  which  they  had 
killed  and  nearly  devoured.  This  was  a  strange  sight,  for  wild 
dogs  were  not  previously  known.  This  singular  animal  has  a 
large  head  and  jaws  of  great  power ;  the  ears  are  long,  the  color 
black  and  yellow  in  patches,  with  a  white  tuft  at  the  tip  of  the 
tail.  They  hunt  their  game  in  packs,  and  perseveringly  follow 
the  animal  they  first  start  till  they  bring  him  down.  The  Balala 
of  the  Kalahari  desert  are  said  to  have  formerly  tamed  them  and 
to  have  employed  them  to  hunt.  An  intelligent  native  at  Kolo- 
beng  remembered  when  a  boy  to  have  seen  a  pack  of  the  dogs 
returning  from  a  hunt  in  charge  of  their  masters,  who  drove  them 
like  a  herd  of  goats,  and  for  safety  kept  them  in  a  pit. 

A   HIPPOPOTAMUS   ATTACKED   AY   ALLIGATORS. 

THE  explorers  continued  their  journey  along  the  banks  of  the 
Zambesi  until  the  Zongwe  river  was  reached,  up  which  they  went 
by  canoes  nearly  fifty  miles,  then  crossed  the  country  to  Victoria 
Falls.  Being  now  in  the  Makololo  country,  Livingstone's  first 
inquiries  were  for  Sekeletu  and  the  fate  of  the  Mabotsa  mission. 
The  report  was  most  discouraging,  for  Sekeletu  was  fatally 
afflicted  with  leprosy  and  his  power  among  the  tribe  wholly  lost 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  337 

by  reason  of  his  helpless  condition,  his  people  believing  him  to 
be  bewitched.  Mr.  Helmore  and  his  wife,  who  had  succeeded 
Livingstone  at  the  Mabotse  mission,  had  both  died  of  fever,  and 
there  was  now  scarcely  a  remembrance  left  of  his  labors  among 
the  Makololo  tribe. 

There  was  nothing  now  to  detain  him  in  that  country,  as  the 
fate  of  the  mission  destroyed  all  hope  of  any  good  coming  from 
further  Christian  labors  in  that  district ;  so  they  visited  Victoria 
Falls  and  then  by  canoe  descended  the  rapids.  We  give  a  bird's- 
eye  view  of  these  wonderful  falls  on  page  562,  showing  the 
very  singular  condensed  and  winding  form  of  the  river  after  its 
plunge  down  the  precipice.  This  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
curiosities  of  nature,  even  surpassing  Niagara  Falls  or  the  won- 
ders of  the  Yellowstone  region.  While  going  down  the  stream, 
which  is  considered  very  dangerous,  an  old  native  offered  his 
services  to  pray  for  their  safe  passage  for  a  small  remuneration, 
which  was,  however,  declined,  and  when  the  canoes  safely 
descended  through  the  chasm  of  boiling  water,  there  was  great 
surprise  manifested  by  the  natives.  Upon  reaching  a  flat  place 
under  the  cliffs  where  an  eddy  was  formed,  a  large  herd  of  hip- 
popotami, thirty  or  more  in  number,  were  found  sporting  ;  while 
a  number  of  native  boys  were  amusing  themselves  by  pelting 
them  with  stones.  The  native  canoemen  were  afraid  to  pass 
through  the  herd,  declaring  that  there  was  a  certain  old  bull  who, 
from  anger  or  viciousness,  would  attack  canoes  if  run  in  among 
them.  Livingstone,  to  frighten  the  animals,  killed  one,  which 
floated  off  but  was  caught  a  short  distance  below.  An  effort  was 
made  to  drag  it  from  the  water,  but  at  this  moment  the  huge 
carcass  was  attacked  by  a  dozen  or  more  alligators,  and  despite 
the  throwing  of  stones,  shooting  and  shouting,  the  ferocious 
reptiles  dragged  the  hippopotamus  away  and  feasted  upon  it. 

Directly  after  this  incident  a  fine  water-buck  was  shot  while 
drinking  from  the  river  ;  the  animal  fell  and  was  instantly  seized 
by  a  crocodile,  but  being  only  wounded  it  regained  its  feet, 
though  still  held  by  the  reptile,  and  for  some  minutes  there  was 
a  dreadful  contest.  The  water-buck  got  away,  however,  but  as 
92  w 


338  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

it  attempted  to  swim  the  stream,  another  crocodile  seized  it  and 
dragged  it  under. 

A  few  nights  afterward,  while  encamped  on  a  small  stream, 
they  were  aroused  by  a  scream  of  anguish,  and  quickly  running 
to  the  bank  of  the  river,  th/vy  found  that  a  woman  had  been 
caught  by  a  crocodile  ;  they  seized  a  boat  and  pushed  off  to  the 
rescue,  but  just  as  they  were  almost  within  reach  of  the  unfor- 
tunate woman  she  gave  a  fearful  shriek:  the  horrid  reptile  hud 
snapped  off  her  leg  at  the  knee.  Mangled  and  fainting  she  was 
carried  to  the  village  and  her  limb  bandaged,  but  she  soon  died. 

RETURN   TO   LAKE    NYASSA. 

LIVINGSTONE  journeyed  about  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Vic- 
toria Falls,  then  retraced  his  steps,  varying  his  route  by  a  few 
short  detours,  to  Lake  Nyassa,  which  he  desired  to  more  fully 
explore.  A  considerable  boat  was  constructed  and  an  effort  made 
to  cross  the  lake,  but  a  storm  arose  and  for  six  hours  threatened 
their  boat  with  destruction  and  forced  them  to  return.  The 
country  lying  north  of  the  lake  is  mountainous,  but  well  suited 
for  agriculture,  and  occupied  by  a  tribe  of  Zulus.  These  people 
own  large  herds  of  cattle  and  are  constantly  increasing  in  num- 
bers by  annexing  other  tribes.  Referring  to  this  fact,  Living- 
stone says  :  "Never  before  in  Africa  have  we  seen  anything  like 
the  dense  population  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Nyassa.  In  the 
southern  part  there  was  an  almost  unbroken  chain  of  villages. 
On  the  beach  of  wellnigh  every  little  sandy  bay,  dark  crowds 
were  standing,  gazing  at  the  novel  sight  of  a  boat  under  sail ; 
and  wherever  we  landed  we  were  surrounded  in  a  few  seconds  by 
hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children,  who  hastened  to  have  a 
stare  at  the  4  chirombo'  (wild  animals).  To  see  the  '  animals' 
feed  was  the  greatest  attraction  ;  never  did  the  Zoological  So- 
ciety's lions  or  monkeys  draw  more  sight-seers  than  we  did. 
Indeed,  we  equaled  the  hippopotamus  on  his  first  arrival  among 
the  civilized  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames. 

"  '  How  far  is  it  to  the  end  of  the  lake?'  we  inquired  of  an 
intelligent-looking  native  at  the  south  part.  «  The  other  end  of 
the  lake  I'  h.e  exclaimed,  in  real  or  well-feigned  astonishment; 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  339 

'who  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing?  Why,  if  one  started  when  a 
mere  boy  to  walk  to  the  other  end  of  the  lake,  he  would  be  an 
old,  gray-headed  man  before  he  got  there.  I  never  heard  of 
such  a  thing  being  attempted.' 

This  answer  indicates  how  little  the  tribes  of  Central  Africa 
travel.  The  end  of  the  lake  was  not  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  from  the  place  where  this  ignorant  native  resided,  and  yet 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  companions  had  any  idea  of  the  dis- 
tance, having  lived  and  fished  all  their  lives  in  one  place. 

DEATH    OF   MRS.  LIVINGSTONE. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  exploration  of  the  lake  extended  from  Septem- 
ber 2  to  October  27,  1861,  when,  having  expended  or  lost  most 
of  his  goods,  it  was  necessary  to  go  back  to  the  ship.  He  did 
not  return  again  to  the  lake,  but  established  several  missions  and 
devoted  himself  to  freeing  slaves,  being  now  in  a  country  where 
slavery  appeared  to  be  the  principal  occupation  of  the  natives. 
There  was  incessant  war,  one  tribe  preying  upon  another,  cap- 
turing and  selling,  massacreing  and  burning,  until  barbarity 
could  go  no  further.  Fever  broke  out  among  the  party  on  board 
the  vessel,  and  became  extremely  virulent  and  obstinate.  About 
the  middle  of  April  Mrs.  Livingstone  was  prostrated  by  this 
disease,  and  it  was  accompanied  by  obstinate  vomiting.  Nothing 
is  yet  known  that  can  allay  this  distressing  symptom,  which  of 
course  renders  medicine  of  no  avail,  as  it  is  instantly  rejected. 
She  received  whatever  medical  aid  could  be  rendered  from  Dr. 
Kirk,  but  became  unconscious,  and  her  eyes  were  closed  in  the 
sleep  of  death  as  the  sun  set  on  the  evening  of  the  Christian 
Sabbath,  the  27th  of  April,  1862.  A  coffin  was  made  during 
the  night,  a  grave  was  dug  next  day  under  the  branches  of  the 
great  baobab-tree,  and  with  sympathizing  hearts  the  little  band 
of  his  countrymen  assisted  the  bereaved  husband  in  burying  his 
dead.  At  his  request,  the  Rev.  James  Stewart  read  the  burial 
service  ;  and  the  seamen  kindly  volunteered  to  mount  guard  for 
some  nights  at  the  spot  where  her  body  rests  in  hope.  Those 
who  are  not  aware  how  this  brave,  good  English  wife  made  a 
delightful  home  at  Kolobeng,  a  thousand  miles  inland  from  the 


340  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Cape,  and  as  the  daughter  of  Moffatt  and  a  Christian  lady 
exercised  most  beneficial  influence  over  the  rude  tribes  of  the 
interior,  may  wonder  that  she  should  have  braved  the  dangers 
and  toils  of  this  down-trodden  land.  She  knew  them  all,  and, 
in  the  disinterested  and  dutiful  attempt  to  renew  her  labors,  was 
called  to  her  rest  instead. 

EXPLORATION    OF    THE    ROVUMA   RIVER. 

IT  was  Livingstone's  intention  to  launch  a  steam  vessel  on 
Lake  Nyassa,  and  he  had  one  built  for  this  purpose,  but  when 
ready  the  Shire  river  had  fallen  so  low  that  the  attempt  had  to  be 
abandoned.  Learning  from  some  natives  that  the  Rovuma  river 
had  its  source  in  Lake  Nyassa,  he  determined  to  explore  that 
stream.  So  preparations  were  made  for  a  final  departure  from 
the  Zambesi.  Upon  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Rovuma,  they 
found  the  stream  too  shallow  to  admit  anything  but  small,  flat- 
bottomed  crafts,  which,  fortunately,  they  had  brought  with  them- 
In  three  light-draught  sail-boats  they  began  an  ascent  of  the 
river.  There  was  a  fertile  valley  reaching  several  miles  on  each 
side  near  the  mouth,  but  as  they  proceeded  inland  hills  arose, 
until  at  several  places  the  river  ran  zig-zag  through  a  deep  cut 
which  was  almost  like  piercing  a  mountain.  There  was  an  utter 
absence  of  game  and  the  natives  were  far  from  friendly.  While 
passing  by  an  island,  several  natives  appeared  armed  with  bows 
and  muskets  and  demanded  toll ;  a  long  parley  ensued,  in  which 
Livingstone  understood  that  he  would  have  to  either  pay  toll  or 
fight;  he  paid  the  toll,  thirty  pieces  of  cloth,  but  had  proceeded 
less  than  a  mile  when  another  party  attacked  the  boats  ;  bullets 
fairly  riddled  the  sails,  but  a  few  well-directed  volleys  from  the 
boats  dispersed  the  enemy  with  some  loss. 

The  expedition  ascended  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
six  miles,  and  then  found  the  river  so  narrow  and  obstructed  by 
dangerous  cataracts,  that  it  was  necessary  to  return,  much  to 
their  disappointment,  as  they  had  not  gained  any  particularly 
valuable  information  concerning  its  source.  Crocodiles  are  scarce 
in  the  Rovuma,  on  account  of  being  hunted  so  persistently  by 
tho  natives,  who  relish  their  meat  as  English  do  roast  beef,  while 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  341 

crocodile  eggs  are  considered  even  more  delicious,  tasting  some- 
thing like  hen's  eggs,  with  a  slight  flavor  of  custard. 

Thece  is  only  one  other  animal  whose  habitat  is  near  the  Ro- 
vuma  that  the  natives  make  any  show  of  hunting,  viz  :  the  seuze, 
which  in  size  equals  our  domestic  cat,  but  in  shape  somewhat 
resembles  a  pig  or  peccari.  It  keeps  from  sight  in  dense  reeds, 
where  it  feeds  on  succulent  young  vegetable  growths,  and  perhaps 
also  on  snakes  and  toads.  The  natives  set  fire  to  the  reeds 
during  the  dry  season,  and  as  the  seuze  rush  out  to  escape  a 
scorching  they  are  speared  or  shot  in  great  numbers. 

TERRIBLE    EFFECTS    OF    SLAVERY, 

THEY  now  descended  the  Rpvuma  to  their  large  vessel,  and 
returned  to  the  Zambesi,  hoping  that  by  this  time  the  Shire  river 
would  be  navigable  for  the  steam  launch.  While  proceeding  up 
the  Zambesi,  several  natives  were  employed  as  sailors,  and  thou- 
sands offered  their  services  for  a  few  pieces  of  cloth.  Owing  to  a 
severe  drought  in  the  country  between  Luputa  and  Kebrabosa, 
the  people  were  driven  to  the  woods  by  hunger,  where  they  were 
subsisting  on  such  wild  fruits  as  the  country  afforded.  Game 
was  abundant,  but  the  natives  are  such  poor  hunters  that  they 
cannot  depend  upon  it. 

The  Shire  river  having  risen  so  as  to  promise  successful  navi- 
gation, on  January  10,  1863,  they  departed  from  Shupanga. 
They  had  scarcely  got  well  into  the  river  before  they  became  wit- 
nesses of  the  dreadful  atrocities  being  then  perpetrated  by  a  chief 
named  Mariano.  He  was  a  Portuguese  slave-agent,  and  had 
invaded  the  country,  capturing  slaves,  burning  villages,  killing 
and  robbing  the  people.  Says  Livingstone  : 

"  Dead  bodies  floated  past  us  daily,  and  in  the  mornings  the 
paddles  had  to  be  cleared  of  corpses,  caught  by  the  floats  during 
the  night.  For  scores  of  miles  the  entire  population  of  the 
valley  was  swept  away  by  this  scourge,  Mariano.  The  sight  and 
smell  of  dead  bodies  was  everywhere.  Many  skeletons  lay  beside 
the  path,  where  in  their  weakness  they  had  fallen  and  expired. 
The  corpse  of  a  boy  floated  past  the  ship  ;  a  monstrous  crocodile 
rushed  at  it  with  the  speed  of  a  greyhound,  caught  it,  and  shook 


342  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

it  as  a  terrier  does  a  rat.  Others  dashed  at  the  prey,  each  with 
his  powerful  tail  churning  the  water  into  froth  as  he  furiously 
tore  off  a  piece.  In  a  few  seconds  it  was  all  gone.  The  sight 
was  fearful  to  behold." 

So  numerous  were  the  reptiles  that  Livingstone  counted  sixty- 
seven  lying  on  a  single  bank.  One  of  the  men,  reaching  down 
to  dip  up  a  cup  of  water,  was  seized,  but  fortunately  he  grasped 
a  tree  branch  and  held  fast,  while  the  ferocious  reptile  tugged 
desperately  to  drag  him  into  the  water.  The  crocodile  did  not 
release  its  hold  until  it  had  terribly  gashed  and  lacerated  the 
man's  hand. 

The  little  steamer  was  taken  by  water  within  thirty-five  miles 
of  Lake  Nyassa,  and  there  she  was  taken  apart,  having  been 
constructed  in  sections  so  as  to  be  portable.  It  was  neces- 
sary, however,  to  cut  a  road  through  the  intervening  forests, 
which  required  great  labor  and  patience,  so  many  trees  having  to 
be  felled  and  stones  removed.  The  object  of  placing  this  boat 
on  the  lake  was  to  use  her  as  a  corvette  in  breaking  up  the  slave- 
trade,  and  carrying  ivory,  and  in  opening  up  a  commercial  route 
to  the  sea  by  way  of  the  Rovuma  river.  The  vessel  was  carted 
half  the  distance,  when  Dr.  Kirk  and  Charles  Livingstone  became 
so  ill  from  dysentery  that  they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the 
expedition  and  return  to  England ;  Dr.  Livingstone  was  also 
attacked  and  reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton.  In  addition  to  these 
troubles,  the  lack  of  food  was  seriously  felt,  and  a  number  of  the 
carriers  deserted.  Against  all  these  annoyances  Livingstone 
struggled,  but  he  found,  as  the  road  became  more  difficult,  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  convey  the  boat  to  the  lake,  and  rather 
than  lose  her  by  the  desertion  of  his  carriers,  he  had  the  vessel 
carried  back  and  floated  in  the  Shire. 

He  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  returning  without  seeing  more 

D  O 

of  the  lake,  and  he  therefore  left  a  dozen  of  the  party  in  charge 
of  the  vessel  while,  with  twice  as  many  more,  he  went  on  to  the 
lake  and  followed  its  banks  until  within  sight  of  the  head  waters, 
which  were  very  shallow.  He  noted  many  small  streams  on  the 
left  bank  flowing  into  the  lake,  but  no  considerable  river.  He 
"«mained  in  the  vicinity. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  343 

Speaking  of  the  results  of  his  second  expedition,  Livingstone 
says  :  "  We  opened  a  cotton-field,  which,  taking  in  the  Shire  and 
Lake  Nyassa,  was  400  miles  in  length.  We  had  gained  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  wherever  we  had  gone  ;  and  a  new  era  had 
commenced  in  a  region  much  larger  than  the  cotton-fields  of  the 
Southern  States  of  America."  His  hopes  for  the  future  of  that 
country,  however,  were  not  fulfilled,  and  it  is  yet  almost  as  wild 
and  barbarous  as  when  he  visited  it,  the  curse  of  slave-hunting 
seeming  to  rest  upon  it  from  generation  to  generation. 


LIVINGSTONE'S 

THIRD  EXPEDITION 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SEARCH   FOR   THE   NILE'S    SOURCE. 

Soox  after  his  return  from  Africa,  in  1864,  Livingstone  was 
apprised  of  the  results  of  Speke  and  Grant's  discoveries,  and 
upon  reading  their  journals  was  impressed  with  a  belief  that  they 
had  not  found  the  true  source  of  the  Nile,  which  he  thought 
must  be  in  a  chain  of  lakes  lying  south  of  Victoria  N'yanza. 
Revolving  the  matter  much  in  his  own  mind,  he  soon  concluded 
to  visit  Africa  for  the  third  time,  to  test  the  claims  put  forth  by 
Speke  and  Grant  and  to  make  other  explorations. 

It  chanced  that  at  this  time  the  government  of  India  desired  to 
present  to  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  the  steamer  ThuUj  which  had 


344  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

belonged  to  Captain  Osborne's  Chinese  fleet,  but  was  no  longer 
required  in  that  service.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  commissioned  to 
make  the  formal  presentation,  and  just  previous  to  his  departure, 
Sir  Bartle  Frere  gave  him  a  note  to  the  Sultan,  warmly  com- 
mending him  to  his  Excellency  and  begging  the  favor  that  the 
distinguished  traveler  might  be  assisted  in  making  a  journey  into 
Central  Africa.  With  these  advantages  he  set  sail  for  Zanzibar 
in  the  steamer  Thule,  and  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-three  days 
from  Bombay,  landed  his  vessel  January  23,  1866,  and  reported 
to  the  Sultan,  who  was  representing  the  Arabian  government. 

Dr.  Livingstone  was  cordially  received  by  the  Sultan,  and  also 
by  Dr.  Seward,  acting  British  consul  at  Zanzibar.  The  presen- 
tation of  the  steamer  was  made  according  to  the  terms  of  his 
commission,  before  a  gathering  of  English  officers  from  the 
steamers  Wasp  and  Vigilant,  which  were  lying  off  the  port,  and 
so  pleased  was  the  Sultan  that  he  not  only  was  ready  to  fulfill 
the  request  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  but  his  kindness  went  so  far  as 
to  offer  Livingstone  a  vessel,  crew  and  provisions,  and  to  give 
him  any  protection  which  the  Arabic  arms  could  afford. 

A  stay  of  nearly  two  months  was  made  at  Zanzibar,  outfitting 
and  perfecting  details  for  the  contemplated  march,  Livingstone 
being  provided  with  a  handsome  house  in  the  meantime  and  his 
desires  carefully  attended  to.  On  March  18th  he  arranged  with 
a  Banian  who  farmed  the  custom-house  revenue,  to  send  a  sup- 
ply of  beads,  cloth,  flour,  tea,  coffee  and  sugar  to  Ujiji,  on  Lake 
Tanganika,  with  a  man  to  remain  in  charge  of  the  goods  on  their 
arrival.  Ujiji  was  made  a  principal  base  for  supplies,  and  the 
first  journey  was  therefore  directed  toward  that  place. 

The  steamer  Penguin  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  and  on  March 
19th  he  set  sail  for  the  Rovuma  river.  On  the  following  day  the 
river  was  reached,  where  a  dhow  (a  coasting  vessel  of  East 
Africa)  was  in  waiting  to  receive  the  animals  which  Livingstone 
took  with  him  for  riding  and  as  beasts  of  burden  ;  these  com- 
prised six  camels,  three  buffaloes  and  a  calf,  two  mules  and  four 
donkeys.  The  men  in  his  company  consisted  of  thirteen  Sepoys, 
ten  Johanna  men,  nine  Nassick  bojs,  two  Shupanga  men,  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  345 

others,  members  of  interior  tribes,  making  forty  in  all.  Several 
of  these  had  accompanied  Livingstone  on  his  second  journey,  and 
were  of  the  greatest  service  to  him. 

LANDING    THE    ANIMALS. 

OWING  to  shallow  water  and  extremely  miry  banks  he  found  it 
quite  impossible  to  land  his  animals  at  the  Rovuma,  and  had  to 
search  for  a  safer  spot,  which  he  at  length  found  at  Mikindamy 
Bay,  which  lies  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Rovuma.  The  animals 
were  so  badly  bruised  by  being  tossed  about  in  the  dhow,  that  a 
rest  was  necessary  before  starting  for  the  interior.  Twenty 
natives  were  engaged  here  to  carry  some  of  the  burdens,  and 
saddles  were  made  for  the  camels  and  donkeys.  During  this 
delay  a  buffalo  gored  one  of  the  donkeys  so  badly  that  it  had  to 
be  shot,  which  was  a  loss  much  to  be  deplored,  as  no  other  animal 
is  so  well  suited  for  carrying  purposes  in  Africa. 

It  was  not  until  April  6th  that  the  expedition  started  for  the 
interior  along  the  Rovuma  valley. 

BURNING   A   LEOPARD. 

ON  the  23d  they  passed  a  spot  where,  on  the  previous  night,  a 
leopard  had  been  burned.  Upon  questioning  the  natives,  Liv- 
ingstone found  that  it  was  the  custom  to  burn  the  bodies  of 
leopards  that  are  killed,  but  to  preserve  the  skins.  The  reason 
which  they  gave  for  not  eating  the  flesh,  as  nearly  all  other  tribes 
do,  is  that  the  leopard  devours  men  ;  this  shows  the  opposite  of 
an  inclination  to  cannibalism. 

Upon  reaching  the  Makoa  country,  a  queer  people  were  met 
with,  quite  unlike  those  of  any  tribe  toward  the  south.  The 
men  have  their  faces  thickly  tattooed  in  double  raised  lines  of 
about  half  an  inch  in  length.  After  the  incisions  are  made 
charcoal  is  rubbed  in  and  the  flesh  pressed  out,  so  that  all  the 
cuts  are  raised  above  the  level  of  the  surface.  The  women  are 
generally  tall  and  well-made,  with  fine  limbs  and  feet,  and  are 
profusely  tattooed  all  over ;  even  the  hips  and  buttock  are  elab- 
orately marked,  no  shame  being  felt  at  the  exposure  of  those 
parts. 


346 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


TERRIBLE  COMBAT  WITH  A  LEOPARD. 

ON  May  21st,  while  they  vrere  encamped,  a  leopard  slipped  in 
among  the  tents  and  caught  <?,  little  dog  which  Livingstone  had 
brought  with  him.  Its  yelps  and  agonizing  cries  awakened  him, 


and  he  rushed  out  of  his  tent  in  time  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
retreating  leopard  as  it  made  off  with  the  dog.     Mentioning  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  34? 

incident  at  the  next  village,  which  was  near,  the  natives  related 
an  adventure  which  some  of  them  had  had  with  perhaps  the  same 
leopard  on  that  day.  Having  lost  many  of  their  goats  and  calves 
by  wild  animals,  a  spring-gun  was  set  by  the  natives,  near  which 
a  small  goat  was  tied,  so  that  any  attempt  to  seize  the  goat  would 
tire  the  gun.  After  waiting  several  hours,  five  of  the  natives 
went  to  see  the  result,  but  as  they  approached,  one  of  them, 
being  in  advance,  was  attacked  by  a  large  leopard  that  leaped 
upon  his  shoulder  and  with  the  utmost  ferocity  began  to  tear  him 
with  its  huge  claws.  The  suddenness  of  the  attack  prevented 
him  from  using  his  spear,  and  he  would  have  been  torn  to  pieces 
in  a  moment  except  for  the  assistance  of  his  comrades,  who, 
hearing  his  agonized  screams,  ran  to  his  assistance,  and  after  a 
terrible  battle,  in  which  several  of  them  were  wounded,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  dispatching  the  brute  with  their  spears.  It  was  one  of 
the  largest  of  its  species,  and  being  pressed  with  hunger,  was 
doubtless  in  the  act  of  springing  upon  the  decoy  goat  when  the 
man  appeared,  and  it  at  once  directed  its  fury  against  him.  The 
men  who  had  slain  the  leopard  had  suddenly  become  heroes  in 
the  eyes  of  their  countrymen,  and  the  lofty  manner  in  which 
they  strutted  about  showed  how  much  they  appreciated  their 
honors. 

STRANGE    CUSTOMS. 

THE  cattle  of  Africa  are,  like  the  Indian  buffalo,  only  partially 
tamed  ;  they  never  give  their  milk  without  the  presence  of  the 
calf,  or  its  stuffed  skin,  the  "fulchan."  The  women  adjacent 
to  Mozambique  partake  a  little  of  the  wild  animal's  nature  ;  for, 
like  most  members  of  the  inferior  races  of  animals,  they  refuse 
all  intercourse  with  their  husbands  when  enciente,  and  they  con- 
tinue this  for  about  three  years  afterward,  or  until  the  child  is 
weaned,  which  usually  happens  about  the  third  year.  Living- 
stone was  told,  on  most  respectable  authority,  that  many  fine 
young  native  men  marry  one  wife,  and  live  happily  with  her  till 
this  period  ;  nothing  will  then  induce  her  to  continue  to  cohabit 
with  him  ;  and  as  the  separation  is  to  continue  for  three  years, 
the  man  is  almost  compelled  to  take  up  with  another  wife  :  this 


348  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

was  mentioned  as  one  of  the  great  evils  of  society.  The  same 
absurdity  prevails  on  the  West  Coast,  and  there  it  is  said  that 
the  men  acquiesce  from  ideas  of  purity. 

The  beasts  of  burden  which  had  been  bitten  by  the  tsetse  fly 
continued  to  droop  and  die,  while  one  of  the  camels  was  beaten  to 
death  by  the  Sepoys,  who  proved  to  be  the  most  worthless  and 
irresponsible  people  Livingstone  had  ever  met  with.  Their  con- 
duct was  so  bad,  and  they  were  so  lazy  and  worthless,  that  he 
was  finally  obliged  to  discharge  and  send  them  back. 

HORRIBLE    SCENES. 

•  '  THEY  were  now  nearing  Lake  Nyassa,  a  fact  which  became 
evident  from  the  number  of  slave  parties  that  were  met  on  the 
route,  whose  tallow  marks  showed  that  they  came  from  the  region 
of  the  Lake.  Livingstone's  journal  shows  the  following  entry 
on  June  19th  :  "  We  passed  a  woman  tied  by  the  neck  to  a  tree, 
and  dead.  The  people  of  the  country  explained  that  she  had 
been  unable  to  keep  up  with  the  other  slaves  in  a  gang,  and  her 
master  had  determined  that  she  should  not  become  the  property 
of  any  one  else  if  she  recovered  after  resting  for  a  time.  I  may 
mention  here  that  we  saw  others  tied  up  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
one  lying  in  the  path  shot  or  stabbed,  for  she  was  in  a  pool  of 
blood.  The  explanation  we  got  invariably  was  that  the  Arab 
who  owned  these  victims  was  enraged  at  losing  his  money  by  the 
slaves  becoming  unable  to  march,  and  vented  his  spleen  by  mur- 
dering them.  A  poor  little  boy  with  prolapsus  ani  was  carried 
yesterday  by  his  mother  many  a  weary  mile,  lying  over  her  right 
shoulder — the  only  position  he  could  find  ease  in  ;  an  infant  at 
the  breast  occupied  the  left  arm,  and  on  her  head  were  carried 
two  baskets.  The  mother's  love  was  seen  in  binding  up  the  part 
when  we  halted,  while  the  coarseness  of  low  civilization  was 
evinced  in  the  laugh  with  which  some  black  brutes  looked  at  the 
sufferer." 

HABITS    OF   THE    NATIVES. 

THE  natives  about  Metaba  are  more  intelligent  than  those  found 
farther  east  on  the  Rovuma,  and  their  appearance  is  not  at  aJ1 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  349 

displeasing.  Stone  boiling  is  unknown  in  their  country,  but 
ovens  are  made  in  ant-hills.  Holes  are  dug  in  the  ground  for 
baking  heads  of  large  game,  such  as  of  zebras,  the  feet  of 
elephants,  and  humps  of  the  rhinoceros.  In  the  production  of 
fire  they  use  two  sticks,  which  are  usually  carried  with  them,  one 
of  which  has  a  hole  through  the  center.  They  wet  the  blunt  end 
of  the  upright  stick  with  the  tongue  and  dip  it  in  the  sand  to 
cause  some  particles  of  silica  to  adhere  before  inserting  it  in  the 
horizontal  piece,  which  they  then  rub  briskly.  The  wood  of  a 
certain  wild  fig-tree  is  esteemed  as  }delding  fire  readily.  In  wet 
weather  they  usually  carry  fire  in  the  dried  balls  of  elephants' 
dung. 

The  country  is  generally  beautiful,  but  the  curse  of  slave- 
trading  had  blighted  it  until,  at  the  time  Livingstone  passed 
through,  famine  and  starvation  were  rife;  skeletons  by  the 
wayside,  and  slaves  in  galling  yokes  dying  for  want  of  food. 
He  mentions  having  met  with  a  number  of  slaves,  all  yoked 
together,  that  had  been  abandoned  by  their  captors  to  die  of 
starvation  ;  some  of  them  were  already  in  an  unconscious  condition 
from  want  of  food,  and  others  barely  able  to  raise  their  heads 
from  the  ground.  It  was  a  shocking  sight,  but  only  one  of  a 
thousand  such. 

CARRIED    OFF   BY   A   LION   AND   A    CROCODILE. 

LIVINGSTONE  reached  Lake  Nyassa  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Misinje  on  August  8th,  having  surmounted  many  obstacles,  not 
the  least  of  which  was  a  distressing  scarcity  of  food.  He  passed 
around  the  south  end  of  the  lake  and  was  most  hospitably 
entertained  at  all  the  villages.  So  dense  is  the  population  that 
there  is  a.  succession  of  villages  with  scarcely  any  break  or  line 
of  separation  between  them.  At  a  village  called  Mponda  he 
found  an  Arab  party  with  nearly  eight  hundred  slaves  confined 
in  a  pen  made  of  dura  stalks  ;  nearly  all  of  them  were  in  the 
taming  stick  except  the  boys,  who  were  tied  together  by  a  thong 
passing  round  their  necks. 

Livingstone  remained  two  days  at  Mponda ;  on  the  morning  of 
the  second  day  a  woman  was  fo'ind  in  a  bush  by  the  village  who 


350  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

had  been  killed  by  a  lion  and  more  than  one-half  eaten.  It  is  a 
common  occurrence  for  women  and  children  to  be  carried  off  by 
lions  in  this  vicinity,  the  beasts  being  much  encouraged  in  their 
attacks  by  the  cowardice  of  the  natives,  who  vever  hunt  them. 
Two  days  later  a  native  drank  so  much  beer  th<.i,  he  went  to  sleep 
near  the  edge  of  the  lake  and  was  seized  by  a  crocodile  and 
carried  off.  A  great  wail  was  raised  by  his  wives,  of  which  he 
possessed  twenty,  and  this  was  kept  up  for  several  days. 

AFRICAN    IRON   FURNACES. 

THE  people  about  the  lake  are  much  engaged  in  iron  working, 
though  their  furnaces  and  smithies  are  extremely  crude.  There 
is  an  abundance  of  iron  ore  in  the  district,  but  it  is  not  rich. 
Livingstone  watched  a  founder  drawing  off  slag  from  the  bottom 

C  o  o 

of  a  furnace,  which  process  he  describes  in  the  following  manner  : 
"He  broke  through  the  hardened  slag  by  striking  it  with  an  iron 
instrument  inserted  in  the  end  of  a  pole,  when  the  material 
flowed  out  of  the  small  hole  left  for  the  purpose  in  the  bottom 
of  the  furnace.  The  ore  (probably  the  black  oxide)  was  like 
Band,  and  was  put  in  at  the  top  of  the  furnace,  mixed  with 
charcoal.  Only  one  bellows  was  at  work,  formed  out  of  a  goat- 
skin, and  the  blast  was  very  poor.  Many  of  these  furnaces,  or 
their  remains,  are  met  with  on  knolls  ;  those  at  work  have  a 
peculiarly  tall  hut  built  over  them." 

Hoes  and  spears  are  the  articles  chiefly  manufactured,  the 
former  being  generally  supplied  with  two  handles,  so  that  it  may 
be  worked  by  two  persons  at  the  same  time.  The  people  are 
good-looking  and  friendly.  They  do  not  commonly  wear  the 
lip-ring,  but  submit  to  what  must  be  keen  torture,  in  ornamenting 
their  arms,  which  are  covered  with  large,  ridge  scars,'  lattice- 
shaped,  extending  also  to  the  back  and  shoulders,  which  are 
produced  by  deep  gashing,  the  wounds  being  afterwards  irritated 
to  prevent  quick  healing. 

INHUMANITY   AND    SUPERSTITION. 

THE  people  who  live  about  the  northern  shores  of  the  lake, 
while  friendly  and  in  a,  measure  industrious,  are  most  inhumao 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


351 


and  superstitious.  They  usually  have  a  store-house  in  some  large 
hill,  where  grain  is  kept  but  not  touched  except  iu  case  of  war ; 
over  this  store-house  they  place  a  cow,  which  occupies  a  shed  on 
the  summit  of  the  hill ;  the  people  believe  that  this  cow  will 


,  by  lowing,  when  an  enemy  is  near,  and  will  bring  good 
influences  in  case  of  war.  Their  inhumanity  extends  to  selling 
their  own  people,  and  even  their  children.  Livingstone,  upon 


352  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

remonstrating  with  an  old  chief  for  selling  his  subjects  to  the 
Portuguese  and  Arabs  for  slaves,  was  astonished  at  the  reply, 
"  Oh,  I  have  too  many  people,  they  cause  me  trouble,  and  I  will 
be  better  off  without  them." 

The  helpless  children  of  a  mother  who  dies  are  left  to  the 
mercies  of  nature  only,  as  no  one  will  care  for  another's  child, 
except,  sometimes,  a  near  relative.  Livingstone  mentions  seeing 
a  little  child  in  a  village  crying  and  calling  its  dead  mother  ;  those 
who  heard  it  as  they  passed  by,  would  say,  "  She  is  coming," 
but  no  one  would  give  it  food  or  shelter,  and  death  from  starva- 
tion soon  relieved  the  little  sufferer. 

THE     HONEY-BIRD. 

LIVINGSTONE  left  the  banks  of  Nyassa  in  November,  and  took 
a  course  northwest,  which  led  through  dense  forests,  where  game 
was  plentiful  but  very  difficult  to  come  at.  Nyassa  is  2,600  feet 
above  sea  level,  but  toward  the  west  the  elevation  increases  to 
2,800  feet,  and  in  fifty  miles  there  is  a  descent  into  a  large  valley 
of  surpassing  fertility.  The  people  west  of  the  lake  were  almost 
continually  at  war,  and  in  consequence  provisions  could  not  be 
purchased  at  any  price.  At  one  time  Livingstone  was  positively 
in  fear  of  starving,  being  reduced  to  the  most  desperate  straits. 
Fortunately,  he  encountered  some  bee-hunters,  who  were  using 
the  honey-bird  as  a  guide.  The  bird  came  quietly  with  them, 
and  patiently  waited  on  the  limb  of  a  tree  while  the  hunters  sat 
for  half  an  hour  smoking  and  chatting  with  Livingstone's  men. 
This  extraordinary  bird  flies  from  tree  to  tree  'in  front  of  the 
hunter,  chirruping  loudly,  and  will  not  be  content  till  he  arrives 
at  the  spot  where  the  bees'-nest  is  ;  it  then  waits  quietly  till  the 
honey  is  taken,  and  feeds  on  the  broken  morsels  of  comb  which 
fall  to  its  share.  Livingstone  followed  the  bird  a  mile  or  more, 
and  was  rewarded  with  a  rich  store  of  honey,  enough  to  appease 
the  hunger  of  his  men  for  two  days,  and  until  they  reached  a 
village,  where  an  elephant  had  recently  been  killed,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  its  dried  flesh  was  purchased. 


THE  -WORLD'S  WONDERS.  353 

DANGER  FROM  SERPENTS. 

As  food  was  scarce  in  all  the  villages,  Livingstone  could  not 
stop  in  any  of  them,  but  pushed  on  where  everything  appeared 
distressingly  gloomy.  On  January  1,  1867,  he  had  reached  the 
Chambeze  river,  but  now  the  rains  set  in,  and  ten  miles  a  day 
was  all  that  could  be  made,  as  rank  grass  obscured  the  paths, 
and  even  the  guides  had  to  depend  on  the  configuration  of  the 
country.  Snakes  were  numerous,  and  there  was  an  ever-present 
danger  lurking  in  the  grass.  One  morning  Livingstone  sat  down 
by  a  tree,  and  accidentally  glancing  down  by  his  side  saw  a  large 
cobra,  and  a  little  further  off  a  puff-adder,  both  of  which,  how- 
ever, were  somewhat  benumbed  by  the  cold. 

FAMINE    AND    A    SERIOUS    LOSS. 

RAIN  and  hunger  now  united  to  stay  further  progress,  and  a 
less  resolute  man  must  have  succumbed  to  these  desperate  obsta- 
cles. On  the  20th  of  January  the  most  serious  loss  that  Living- 
stone could  sustain  befel  him.  Two  Waiyan  carriers,  who  had 
served  him  faithfully  for  several  weeks,  deserted,  carrying  with 
them,  among  other  things,  the  medicine  chest;  they  took  also 
all  the  dishes,  a  large  powder-box,  two  guns,  a  cartridge-pouch, 
and  all  the  tools;  these  latter,  though  of  inestimable  value  in 
such  a  country,  could  be  dispensed  with,  but  in  the  medicine 
chest  lay  all  the  hope  and  possibility  of  the  expedition,  for  no 
constitution  can  withstand  the  malarial  exhalations  of  tropical 
Africa  unaided  by  that  fever  specific,  quinine.  Livingstone  says  : 
"  I  felt  as  if  I  had  received  the  sentence  of  death." 

MEETING   WITH    CHIEF    CHITAPANGWA. 

LIVINGSTONE  came  upon  a  small  stream  called  the  Lopiri,  a 
branch  of  the  Chambeze,  on  the  last  day  of  January,  and  follow- 
ing  it  down  some  distance  he  entered  a  village,  over  which  Chita- 
pangwa,  sometimes  called  Motoka,  was  ruler.  Fish  were  very 
plentiful  in  the  Lopiri,  and  this  fact  mainly  induced  Livingstone 
to  make  a  short  stay  in  the  village,  where  he  supposed  food 
must  be  procurable.  Entering  the  place  he  was  gladdened  by 
the  sight  of  a  party  of  Arabs,  who  were  upon  the  point  of  going 

23 


354  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

to  Zanzibar  for  supplies.  He  sent  by  these  men  for  coffee, 
candles,  sugar,  quinine,  calomel,  resin  of  jalap,  and  some  other 
things,  to  be  forwarded  to  Ujiji,  but  only  with  a  slight  hope  that 
the  articles  would  reach  him,  as  the  Arabs  were  unfriendly  to 
Livingstone's  purposes. 

Chitapangwa,  who  was  a  great  chief  among  his  people,  was 
not  long  in  seeking  an  audience  with  his  white  guest,  whose  goods 
he  appeared  very  anxious  to  inspect.  The  first  meeting  was  a 
very  friendly  one,  during  which  Chitapangwa  gave  Livingstone  a 
Jarge  cow,  and  begged  him  to  remain  several  days  in  his  country. 
On  the  following  day,  however,  when  the  cow  was  about  to  be 
slaughtered,  one  of  the  chief's  head  men  objected,  saying  that  a 
blanket  must  first  be  given  ;  as  Livingstone  had  no  blanket  that 
he  could  spare,  a  long  palaver  took  place,  which  resulted  in  the 
cow  being  sent  back,  and  Livingstone's  party  had  either  to  fast 
or  eat  dried  hippopotamus  meat,  that  was  anything  but  appetizing. 
At  his  next  audience  with  the  chief,  Livingstone  declared  his 
intention  to  go  a  little  way  east  to  buy  goats,  but  at  this  Chita- 
pangwa appeared  angry,  and  said  that  he  would  give  the  cow 
first  offered,  which  was  finally  brought  and  slaughtered.  Chita- 
pangwa was  a  singular  creature,  so  jolly  in  his  intercourse  and 
full  of  good  promises,  but  provokingly  chary  about  fulfilling 
them.  He  wanted  cloths,  which  were  given  to  the  value  of  two 
or  three  cows  ;  but  he  still  demanded  a  blanket,  and  was  so  per- 
sistent that  he  refused  Livingstone  permission  to  depart  until  a 
well-worn  blanket  belonging  to  one  of  the  men  was  given  him. 
He  had  an  idea  that  Livingstone's  purpose  in  visiting  his  country 
was  for  individual  gain,  and  upon  being  assured  that  there  was 
no  selfish  object  connected  with  the  expedition,  he  pulled  down 
the  umlerlid  of  his  eye  exactly  like  some  of  our  precocious  lads 
when  they  ask,  "Do  you  see  anything  green  in  my  eye?"  Liv- 
ingstone finally  obtained  the  confidence  and  good-will  of  the 
chief,  who  then  declared  that  he  had  given  the  cow  in  the  first 
place  as  an  evidence  of  his  friendship :  that  he  had  instructed 
his  head  man  to  ask  for  a  blanket,  but  in  case  this  was  refused 
to  give  the  cow  anyhow,  and  beg  the  white  man  to  send  any 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  355 

pretty  thing  which  he  might  have.  This  explanation  Livingstone, 
of  course,  had  to  accept,  though  he  knew  it  to  be  a  falsehood. 
He  remained  three  weeks,  and  on  taking  leave  Chitapangwa  gave 
him  a  brass  knife  with  ivory  sheath,  and  sent  some  of  his  men 
to  accompany  him  and  show  the  way  to  Lake  Tanganika,  which 
was  nearly  two  hundred  miles  distant. 

ARRIVAL    AT   LAKE    TAXGANIKA. 

THE  country  was  somewhat  more  open  on  the  route  north  than 
that  which  Livingstone  had  passed  through  to  reach  Chitapangwa' s 
village,  but  food  continued  scarce.  At  Moamba,  a  village  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  Chitapangwa' s,  and  ruled  over  by  that 
chief's  brother,  Livingstone  was  well  received  and  provided  with 
meat  and  guides,  much  to  his  surprise,  for  it  had  been  repre- 
sented that  here  he  would  meet  with  hostility.  Upon  leaving  this 
place  food  again  became  scarce,  and  to  add  to  his  troubles  he  was 
attacked  with  fever.  Wearied,  sick  and  hungry,  he  still  con- 
tinued his  journey,  sustained  wholly  by  his  wonderful  will  power  ; 
and  on  March  31st  he  came  in  sight  of  Lake  Tanganika.  So 
mountainous  are  its  shores,  that  from  the  point  where  he  first 
observed  the  lake  he  had  to  descend  two  thousand  feet  before 
reaching  the  level  of  the  water.  It  seemed  about  twenty  miles 
broad,  and  in  the  view  of  thirty  miles  northward  he  could  see 
four  different  rivers  pouring  their  waters  into  it.  After  a  fort- 
night's stay  on  the  lake  Livingstone  writes  of  it  as  follows: 
"  Its  peacefulness  is  remarkable,  though  at  times  it  is  said  to  be 
lashed  up  by  storms.  It  lies  in  a  deep  basin,  whose  sides  are 
nearly  perpendicular,  but  covered  well  with  trees ;  the  rocks 
which  appear  are  bright-red  argillaceous  schist ;  the  trees  at 
present  all  green  ;  down  some  of  these  rocks  come  beautiful  cas- 
cades, and  buffaloes,  elephants,  and  antelopes  wander  and  graze 
on  the  more  level  spots,  while  lions  roar  by  night.  The  level 
place  below  is  not  two  miles  from  the  perpendicular.  The  village 
(Pambete),  at  which  we  first  touched  the  lake,  is  surrounded  by 
palm-oil-trees — not  the  stunted  ones  of  Lake  Nyassa,  but  the 
real  West  Coast  palm-oil-tree,  requiring  two  men  to  carry  a  bunch 
of  the  ripe  fruit.  In  the  morning  and  evening  huge  crocodiles 


356  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

may   be  observed   quietly  making  their  way  to   their   feeding 
grounds  ;  hippopotami  snort  by  night  and  at  early  morning." 

THE    LAKE   PEOPLE. 

THE  Balungu  people,  who  inhabit  the  south  shores  of  the  lake, 
are  exceedingly  affable,  and  would  be  superior  subjects  for  the 
civilizing  influences  of  missionaries,  were  it  not  for  their  cowardice 
and  laziness.  The  Mazitu  tribe  attack  them  very  often,  and  take 
their  women  and  children  captives  without  meeting  any  resist- 
ance. Their  politeness,  however,  is  remarkable  ;  in  marching 
with  them  they  labor  incessantly  to  promote  the  comfort  of 
strangers,  and  bow  and  salute  on  every  occasion,  like  the  most 
fastidious  Frenchman. 

There  is  nothing  interesting  in  a  heathen  town.  All  are  busy 
in  preparing  food  or  clothing,  mats  or  baskets,  while  the  women 
are  cleaning  or  grinding  their  corn,  which  involves  much  hard 
labor.  They  first  dry  this  in  the  sun,  then  put  it  into  a  mortar, 
and  afterward  with  a  flat  basket  clean  off  the  husks  and  the  dust, 
and  grind  it  between  two  stones  ;  the  next  thing  is  to  bring  wood 
and  water  to  cook  it.  The  mode  of  salutation  among  relatives 
is  to  place  the  hands  round  each  other's  chests,  kneeling  ;  they 
then  clasp  their  hands  close  to  the  ground.  Some  more  abject 
individuals  kiss  the  soil  before  a  chief  ;  the  generality  kneel  only, 
with  the  forearms  close  to  the  ground,  and  the  head  bo  wed  down 
to  them,  saying,  "  O  Ajadla  chiusa,  Mari  a  bwino."  The  TJsanga 
say,  "Aje  senga."  The  clapping  of  hands  to  superiors,  and 
even  equals,  is  in  some  villages  a  perpetually-recurring  sound. 
Aged  persons  are  usually  saluted  ;  how  this  extreme  deference  to 
each  other  could  have  arisen  cannot  be  conceived  ;  it  does  not 
seem  to  be  fear  of  one  another  that  elicits  it.  Even  the  chiefs 
inspire  no  fear,  and  those  cruel  old  platitudes  about  governing 
savages  by  fear  seem  unknown,  yet  governed  they  certainly  are, 
and  upon  the  whole  very  well. 

4.   WEDDING    IN   AFRICA, 

LIVINGSTONE'S  intention  was  co  pass  along  the  lake  cost,  but 
from  this  purpose  he  was  persuaded  by  a  report  that  a  powerful 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


357 


chief,  named  Nsama,  was  at  war  with  the  Arabs  under  Hamees, 
and  that  between  these  two  he  would  be  certain  to  fall  into 
difficulty.  To  evade  these  hostile  people  he  turned  southwest, 


intending  to  make  a  circuit  back  to  the  lake.  The  country 
through  which  he  was  now  traveling  was  very  fertile,  and  the 
food  supply  of  every  village  was  abundant ;  but  this  lasted  for 


358  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

a  distance  of  only  fifty  miles,  when  it  was  necessary,  in  making 
a  detour,  to  pass  through  the  village  of  Hara,  in  the  Itawa 
country,  which  had  recently  been  burned  by  Hamees  ;  here  they 
were  so  near  Nsama  that  he  heard  of  Livingstone's  being  in  his 
vicinity,  and  sent  for  him  to  visit  him  in  his  new  stockade,  about 
five  miles  from  Hara,  but  to  bring  no  guns.  Livingstone  com- 
plied with  the  request,  and  was  received  becomingly,  except  that 
the  chief  insisted  on  searching  his  person  to  see  if  any  arms  were 
concealed.  The  Arabs  had  defeated  him  in  a  desperate  battle, 
and  though  previously  Nsama  had  been  regarded  as  invincible, 
now  his  influence  was  almost  destroyed.  Yet,  for  commercial 
purposes,  Hamees  desired  to  make  peace  with  him,  and  came  to 
Hara  to  cement  the  friendship  by  marrying  one  of  his  daughters. 
The  proposal  was  not  readily  acceded  to,  and  the  people  were 
sorely  concerned  as  to  the  outcome.  In  the  midst  of  these  doubts, 
however,  a  daughter  of  Nsama  came  riding  pick-a-pack  on  a  man's 
shoulder  into  Hara,  to  be  a  wife  and  sacrifice  herself  for  the  sake 
of  peace.  She  was  a  nice,,  modest,  good-looking  young  woman, 
her  hair  rubbed  all  over  with  grease  and  a  red  pigment  made 
from  the  cam-wood,  and  much  used  as  an  ornament.  She  was 
accompanied  by  a  dozen  young  and  old  female  attendants,  each 
carrying  a  small  basket  with  some  provisions — cassava,  ground- 
nuts, etc.  The  Arabs  were  all  dressed  in  their  finery,  and  the 
slaves,  in  fantastic  costumes,  flourished  swords,  fired  guns,  and 
yelled  vociferously.  When  she  was  brought  to  Hamees'  hut  she 
descended  from  her  perch  and,  with  her  maids,  passed  in  at  the 
door.  She  and  her  attendants  had  all  small,  neat  features. 
Livingstone  had  been  sitting  beside  Hamees,  and  as  he  got  up 
and  walked  away  he  heard  the  Arab  chief  say  to  himself, 
"Hamee  wadim  Tagh  ! " — "See  to  what  you  have  brought  your- 
self." This  completed  the  marriage  ceremony. 

Nsama's  people  have  generally  small,  well-chiseled  features, 
and  many  are  really  handsome,  and  have  nothing  of  the  West 
Coast  Negro  about  them  ;  but  they  file  their  teeth  to  sharp  points, 
and  greatly  disfigure  their  mouths.  The  only  difference  between 
them  and  Europeans  is  the  color.  Many  of  the  men  have  very 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  359 

finely-formed  heads,  and  so  have  the  women  ;  and  the  fashion  of 
wearing  the  hair  sets  off  their  foreheads  to  advantage.  The 
forehead  is  shaved  off  to  the  crown,  the  space  narrowing  as  it 
goes  up. 

THE    VILLAGE    OF     CASEMBE. 

DURING  his  stay  at  Hara,  which  was  really  enforced  by  pro- 
tracted rains,  Livingstone  gained  the  friendship  of  Hamees,  and 
when  he  left  the  village  on  the  22d  of  September,  he  was  accom- 
panied by  several  Arabs,  while  Hamees  followed  a  short  distance, 
and  then  supplied  guides  to  take  him  to  Lake  Moero.  The  journey 
thence  was  through  a  beautiful  country,  very  thickly  populated, 
but  the  natives  were  so  terror-stricken  at  the  sight  of  guns,  owing 
to  the  recent  Arab  incursions  and  battles,  that  they  would  not 
stop  to  barter,  but  ran  off  and  hid  themselves  ;  thus  food  was 
somewhat  difficult  to  obtain  ;  fortunately,  however,  a  consider- 
able amount  was  brought  along. 

Reaching  the  Kalongi  river  the  natives  were  more  friendly  dis- 
posed, and  as  the  river  teemed  with  fish  there  was  feast  succeed- 
ing a  famine.  Rapid  progress  was  now  made,  and  on  November 
1st  the  village  of  Casembe  was  entered,  to  the  great  delight  of 
the  tired  travelers.  Casembe  is  a  term  applied  to  both  village 
and  governor,  or,  literally,  General.  Just  before  Livingstone's 
arrival  there  had  been  an  interregnum  in  the  rulership,  the  old 
Casembe  having  recently  died.  As  the  son  or  heir  does  not  suc- 
ceed to  the  chieftainship,  the  village  was  without  a  ruler  for 
nearly  a  year  before  a  new  Casembe  was  selected  to  succeed  the 
dead  chief. 

The  plain  extending  from  the  Lunde  river  to  Casembe  is  level, 
and  studded  thickly  with  red-ant  hills,  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  high.  The  chief's  residence  is  inclosed  in  a  wall  of  reeds, 
eight  or  nine  feet  high  and  three  hundred  yards  square ;  the 
gateway  is  ornamented  with  about  sixty  human  skulls ;  a  shed 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  road  fronting  the  gate,  under  which 
is  a  cannon  ornamented  with  gaudy  cloth.  A  number  of  noisy 
fellows  tried  to  stop  Livingstone  and  his  party  and  compel  them 
to  pay  a  tribute  for  the  cannon,  but  they  burst  through  without 


360  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

regarding  the  demand.  Mohamid  bin  Saleh,  the  Arab  leader  at 
this  place,  met  Livingstone  and  gave  him  a  reception  by  firing 
guns,  then  led  his  party  to  a  large  shed  for  further  ceremonies, 
such  as  bowing,  firing  salutes,  rubbing  elbows,  etc.  After  this 
a  large  hut  was  given  Living-stone  for  his  residence  until  others 

O  O,O 

could  be  built.  The  town  is  headquarters  for  the  Arab  slave- 
trade,  and  there  is  a  very  large  stockade  for  slaves,  which  Liv- 
ingstone found  full. 

Many  of  the  Casern  be  people  appeared  with  their  ears  cropped 
and  hands  lopped  off.  Upon  inquiring  the  cause,  Livingstone 
was  told  that  it  was  the  practice  of  the  Casembe  to  mutilate  his 
subjects  for  petty  offenses,  and  sometimes  merely  to  gratify  his 
barbarous  inclination. 

AFRICAN   POMP   AND    SPLENDOR. 

THE  third  day  after  his  arrival  Livingstone  was  tendered  a 
reception  by  the  Casembe,  who  was  seated  in  great  state  in  front 
of  his  council  chamber,  while  his  principal  chiefs  squatted  on  the 
ground  around  him.  A  "  tom-toming  "  was  kept  up  by  two 
musicians  on  native  drums,  while  Casembe's  wives  danced  up  to 
Livingstone  with  small  branches  of  trees  in  their  hands,  with 
which  they  swept  the  ground  as  they  bowed  before  him.  One  of 
the  principal  officers  was  instructed  to  present  the  white  guest 
with  an  elephant's  tusk,  as  an  evidence  of  the  great  esteem  with 
which  he  was  regarded.  The  affair  was  one  of  the  most  stately 
that  Livingstone  had  ever  witnessed  in  Africa,  and  he  describes 
the  incident  and  the  people  at  some  length. 

"The  present  Casembe,"  says  Livingstone,  "has  a  heavy, 
uninteresting  countenance,  without  beard  or  whiskers,  and  some- 
what of  the  Chinese  type,  and  his  eyes  have  an  outward  squint. 
He  smiled  but  once  during  the  day,  and  that  was  pleasant  enough, 
though  the  cropped  ears  and  lopped  hands,  with  human  skulls  at 
the  gate,  made  me  indisposed  to  look  on  anything  with  favor. 
His  principal  wife  came  with  her  attendants,  after  he  had  de- 
parted, to  look  at  the  Englishman  (Moengerese).  She  was  a  fine, 
tall,  good-featured  lady,  with  two  spears  in  her  hand.  The  prin- 
cipal men  who  had  come  around  made  way  for  her,  and  called  on 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


361 


me  to  salute ;  I  did  so ;  but  she,  being  forty  yards  off,  I  invol- 
untary beckoned  her  to  come  nearer :  tnis  upset  the  gravity  of 
all  her  attendant*  ;  all  burst  into  a  laugh,  and  ran  off. 


"Casembe's  smile  was  elicited  by  a  dwarf  making  some  un- 
couth antics  before  him.  His  executioner  also  came  forward  to 
look :  he  had  a  broad  Lunda  sword  on  his  arm,  and  a  curious 


362  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


scissor-like  instrument  at  his  neck  for  cropping  ears.  On  saying 
to  him  that  his  was  nasty  work,  he  smiled,  and  so  did  many  who 
were  not  sure  of  their  ears  a  moment  ;  many  men  of  respecta- 
bility show  that  at  some  former  time  they  have  been  thus  pun- 
ished. Casembe's  chief  wife  passes  frequently  to  her  plantation 
carried  by  six,  or  more  commonly  by  twelve  men,  in  a  sort  of 
palanquin  :  she  has  European  features,  but  light-brown  complex- 
ion. A  number  of  men  run  before  her,  brandishing  swords  and 
battle-axes,  and  one  beats  a  hollow  instrument,  giving  warning  to 
passengers  to  clear  the  way  ;  she  has  two  enormous  pipes  ready 
filled  for  smoking.  She  is  very  attentive  to  her  agriculture  ; 
cassava  is  the  chief  product,  but  they  also  raise  sweet-potatoes, 
maize,  sorghum,  millet,  ground-nuts  and  cotton.  The  people 
seem  more  savage  than  any  I  have  yet  seen  ;  they  strike  each 
other  barbarously  from  mere  wantonness,  but  they  are  civil 
enough  to  me." 

THE    TROGLODYTES. 

LIVINGSTONE  took  leave  of  Casembe  on  December  22d,  and  on 
January  1st,  after  a  severe  journey  through  dreadful  bogs, 
reached  Moero  Lake,  which  lies  in  a  basin  surrounded  by  the 
Eua  Mountains.  Its  shape  is  almost  circular,  with  a  diameter  of 
about  fifty  miles.  Numerous  villages  line  its  shores,  and  large 
game,  such  as  buffaloes,  elephants,  zebras,  lions  and  leopards, 
abound. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Moero  are  found  that  singular  race  or  species 
known  as  Troglodytes,  which,  like  the  bat,  are  impossible  of 
classification.  They  live  in  underground  houses  along  the  Rua 
Mountain  sides  for  twenty  miles  or  so.  In  some  ca'ses  the  door- 
ways are  level  with  the  adjacent  country,  while  a  ladder  is  used 
in  reaching  others.  Generally  these  habitations  are  caves,  a 
singularly  large  number  of  which  are  found  in  the  Rua  Moun- 
tains, but  not  a  few  are  artificial  excavations. 

Livingstone  had  left  Casembe  with  the  assurance  of  his  guides 
that  they  should  reach  Ujiji  within  a  month,  but  the  rains  were 
so  incessant  that  traveling  was  nearly  impossible  for  several 
months,  and  necessitated  a  stay  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Moero 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


363 


and  Casembe  for  nearly  four  months.  During  this  time,  how- 
ever, he  was  not  entirely  idle,  but  went  from  village  to  village  as 
far  as  the  floods  would  permit.  At  a  small  place,  called  Mofwe, 
he  found  an  Arab  digging  and  fencing  up  a  well,  to  prevent  his 
slaves  from  being  taken  away  by  crocodiles  ;  this  precaution  was 
not  thought  of  until  after  he  had  lost  three  slaves.  The  coun- 
try, being  almost  covered  with  water,  was  badly  infested  by 
crocodiles  ;  while  the  wild  animals  were  driven  from  their  accus- 


WILD   ANIMALS    DRIVEN  TO   HIGH   GROUND   BY  THE  FLOODS. 

tomed  haunts  and  forced  to  seek  refuge  on  hills,  knolls,  and  other 
high  places.  Their  terror  seemed  to  rob  them  of  their  fierce 
propensities  and  natural  instincts,  and  lions,  hyenas,  leopards, 
antelopes,  monkeys,  and  other  animals  were  often  seen  huddled 
close  together  in  small  dry  spots,  without  any  attempt  of  the 
strong  and  ferocious  to  attack  the  weak  and  defenseless.  Such 
scenes  were  very  remarkable  and  made  Livingstone  think  of  the 
time  when  "the  lion  and  the  lamb  shall  lie  down  together." 


364  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PUNISHMENT  FOR  UNFAITHFULNESS. 

IT  was  not  until  the  first  of  June  that  the  floods  had  subs  ded 
sufficiently  to  admit  of  a  resumption  of  the  journey,  which  was 
now  to  be  directed  toward  Lake  Bangweolo,  of  which  Living- 
stone had  heard  much.  As  he  was  upon  the  point  of  leaving 
Casembe,  he  was  struck  by  the  sight  of  a  sub-chief's  wife,  who 
was  uncommonly  good-looking,  in  a  slave  chain-gang.  Inquiry 
elicited  the  fact  that  she  had  been  sold  for  unfaithfulness  ;  her 
husband,  Kapika,  was  an  old  man,  while  she  was  both  youthful 
and  pretty ;  her  offense,  therefore,  was  but  the  counterfeit  of 
what  we  frequently  see  among  civilized  people  who  are  similarly 
mis-mated. 

The  case  of  the  chieftainess  excited  great  sympathy  among  the 
people  ;  many  brought  her  food,  and  one  man  offered  to  redeem 
her  with  three  slaves.  The  matter  was  finally  brought  before 
Casembe,  but  this  chief,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  himself  was  an 
old  man  having  a  pretty  young  wife,  declared  that  ten  slaves 
could  not  redeem  the  faithless  woman.  He  pronounced  this 
judgment  with  a  scowl  and  looked  at  his  own  wife  at  the  same 
time. 

On  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  Casembe  a  small  party  of  natives 
was  met,  carrying  a  dead  lion  slung  across  a  pole.  The  lion  had 
killed  a  man,  and  it  was  being  taken  to  Casembe  for  judgment ; 
its  mouth  was  carefully  strapped  and  the  paws  tied  tightly  across 
its  chest.  Some  of  the  lions  of  this  district  stand  more  than  five 
feet  high,  and  are  nearly  as  large  as  a  buffalo. 

JOY   AMONG   SLAVES. 

ONE  day  Livingstone  met  a  gang  of  slaves  being  driven  along 
the  path,  and  some  of  them  were  singing  as  if  they  did  not  feel 
the  weight  and  degradation  of  the  slave-sticks.  Livingstone 
asked  the  cause  of  their  mirth,  and  was  told  that  they  rejoiced 
at  the  idea  of  "coming  back  after  death,  and  haunting  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  365 

killing  those  who  had  sold  them."  Some  of  the  words  he  had  to 
inquire  about ;  for  instance,  the  meaning  of  the  words  "  to  haunt 
and  kill  by  spirit  power;"  then  it  was,  "Oh,  you  sent  me  off 
to  Manga  (sea-coast),  but  the  yoke  is  off  when  I  die,  and  back  I 
shall  come  to  haunt  and  to  kill  you."  Then  all  joined  in  the 
chorus,  which  was  the  name  of  each  vendor.  It  told  not  of  fun, 
but  of  the  bitterness  and  tears  of  such  as  were  oppressed. 

Kapika's  wife  was  among  the  slaves,  and  she  was  asked  if  she 
would  return  to  kill  Kapika.  Her  heart  was  evidently  sore  :  for 
a  lady  to  come  so  low  down  is  to  her  grievous.  She  had  lost  her 
jaunty  air,  and  with  her  head  shaved,  was  ugly  ;  but  she  never 
forgot  to  address  her  captors  with  dignity,  and  they  seemed  to 
fear  her. 

A  GRAVE    BY   THE    WAYSIDE. 

ON  June  25th,  Livingstone  reached  the  Luongo  River,  along 
which  were  several  villages,  but  the  people  were  afraid  of  the 
"  white  man,"  whose  purposes  and  singularcolor  they  could  not 
comprehend,  so  that  no  stop  was  made  among  them.  Wild  beasts 
were  so  numerous  and  daring  in  their  depredations  that  the  vil- 
lages were  protected  by  high  hedges.  Leaving  these  villages, 
he  came  to  a  grave  in  the  forest ;  it  was  a  little  rounded  mound, 
as  if  the  occupant  satin  it  in  the  usual  native  way  ;  it  was  strewn 
over  with  flour,  and  a  number  of  the  large  blue  beads  put  on  it : 
a  little  path  showed  that  it  had  visitors.  "  This,"  says  Living- 
stone, "  is  the  sort  of  grave  I  should  prefer:  to  lie  in  the  still, 
still  forest,  and  no  hand  ever  disturb  my  bones.  The  graves  at 
home  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  miserable,  especially  those  in 
the  cold,  damp  clay,  and  without  elbow-room :  but  I  have 
nothing  to  do  but  wait  till  He  who  is  over  all  decides  where  I 
have  to  lay  me  down  and  die.  Poor  Mary  (his  wife)  lies  on 
Shupanga  brae,  '  and  beeks  foment  the  sun.' ' 

A  more  pathetic  allusion  to  a  sad  circumstance  was  never  made 
than  is  contained  in  these  few  lines.  He  must  have  a  hard  heart 
indeed,  who  can  read  them  without  emotion  as  he  thinks  of  the 
wild,  lonesome  spot  where  this  noble  and  courageous  woman 
reposes,  so  far  from  home  and  civilization,  wrapt  in  the  mysteries 
of  nature,  alone  with  nature's  God. 


366  THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

DISCOVERY   OF    LAKE    BANGWEOLO. 

ON  July  18th,  Livingstone's  heart  was  gladdened  by  the  dis- 
covery of  Lake  Bangweolo,  one  of  the  largest  bodies  of  water  in 
Central  Africa,  and  thirty-six  hundred  feet  above  sea  level.  The 
modesty  with  which  he  announces  this  important  discovery  is 
remarkable,  after  reading  Baker  and  Speke's  self-laudations  on 
similar  occasions.  Livingstone  does  not  even  give  "  thanks  for 
being  made  the  instrument  in  God's  hands  for  exploring  this 
great  lake,  and  adding  so  much  to  the  geography  of  Africa." 
His  modest  announcement  is  as  follows:  "Reached  the  chief 
village  of  Mapuni,  near  the  north  bank  of  Bangweolo.  On  the 
18th  I  walked  a  little  way  out,  and  saw  the  shores  of  the  lake 
for  the  first  time,  thankful  that  I  had  come  safely  hither." 

The  people  living  near  Bangweolo  Lake  are  called  Mboghwa ; 
their  features  would  not  be  unpleasant  if  they  abstained  from  the 
practice  of  filing  their  teeth  to  a  point  and  tattooing  their  fore- 
heads and  chins.  Their  occupation  is  chiefly  fishing,  in  which 
they  show  much  skill  ;  a  singular  thing  is  the  fact  that  their  fish- 
hooks are  made  exactly  like  those  we  use  in  America,  excepting 
that  there  are  no  barbs  on  them.  The  shores  of  the  lake  being 
shallow,  many  men  may  be  seen  on  stilts  strapped  to  their  knees 
on  which  they  wade  far  out  into  the  water  and  fish  from  their 
precarious  perch. 

A  very  large  canoe,  capable  of  carrying  twenty  men,  was 
engaged  by  Livingstone,  and  in  this  he  visited  several  islands  in 
the  lake,  all  of  which  he  found  thickly  inhabited.  The  lake  Is 
computed  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long,  by  eighty 
broad  ;  its  water  is  clear  as  crystal  and  the  bottom  is  of  beautiful 
white  sand,  so  that  objects  are  visible  at  a  great  depth. 

IN   TROUBLE. 

LIVINGSTONE  had  gone  directly  away  from  Ujiji  in  proceeding 
to  Bangweolo,  which  is  nearly  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Cas- 
embe,  but  the  importance  of  his  discovery  recompensed  him  for 
the  trouble  he  had  encountered.  But  when  he  was  about  to  return 
to  Casembe,  the  news  reached  him  that  hostilities  had  broken 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  367 

out  between  the  Arabs  and  natives,  under  the  following  circum- 
stances :  The  Mazitu  tribes  had  overrun  Casembe's  territory  and 
so  devastated  it  that  the  trade  in  ivory  had  been  almost  utterly 
destroyed.  To  preserve  their  own  interests,  therefore,  the  Arabs 
had  joined  Casembe  and  defeated  the  Mazitu  with  great  slaughter. 
This  success  gave  the  Arabs  a  hope  of  finally  possessing  the  entire 
country,  but  Casembe  soon  became  aware  of  their  ambitions, 
and  forming  an  alliance  with  another  strong  chief,  named  Chi- 
kumbi,  the  two  attacked  Kombokombo,  an  Arab  leader,  but  were 
repulsed.  There  was  now  fighting  on  all  sides,  so  that  Living- 
stone could  not  hope  to  go  unmolested  through  so  large  a  district 
as  lay  between  him  and  Casembe. 

Shortly  after  leaving  Bangweola  Lake  he  was  intercepted  by 
a  large  body  of  furious  Imbozhwa  (Casembe  soldiers),  who, 
mistaking  his  party  for  plunderers,  raised  their  spears  and  were 
upon  the  point  of  attacking,  when  an  old  man  who  had  seen 
Livingstone  at  Casembe,  rushed  out  in  front  of  his  people  and 
ordered  them  to  desist.  It  was  only  by  a  piece  of  extraordinary 
good  fortune  that  Livingstone  was  not  killed,  but  on  the  following 
day  his  party  was  again  besieged  by  another  army  of  natives 
under  the  false  impression  that  he  was  heading  a  crowd  of  Mazitu, 
but  for  a  second  time  good  luck  attended  him. 

On  the  23d  of  September  he  fell  in  with  some  Arab  traders  and 
four  hundred  Wanyamwezi  people,  who  were  trying  to  get  out  of 
the  country,  and  together  they  marched  northward.  In  anticipa- 
tion of  attacks  they  built  fences  each  night  around  their  camp 
and  kept  out  a  sharp  watch  for  enemies  until  reaching  the  Kalon- 
gosi  river,  which  is  the  southern  boundary  of  Casembe's  territory. 

KILLING   PRISONERS. 

LIVINGSTONE  hardly  expected  an  attack  after  reaching  Cas- 
embe's country,  but  in  this  he  was  mistaken  ;  for,  on  account  of 
the  killing  of  a  woman  by  an  Arab,  the  Imbozhwa  turned  out  in 
strong  force  and  attacked  the  combined  forces  of  Livingstone, 
the  Wanyamwezi,  and  Arabs.  A  stockade  was  hastily  constructed, 
but  this  would  have  afforded  little  protection  had  it  not  been  for 
$e  Wanyamwezi,  who  shot  rigorously  with  their  arrows  and 


368  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

occasionally  charged  the  Imbozhwa.  The  women  went  up  and 
down  the  village  with  sieves,  as  if  winnowing,  and  singing  songs 
and  lullilooing  to  encourage  their  husbands  and  friends  who  were 
fighting:  each  had  a  branch  of  the  Ficus  Indica  in  her  hand, 
which  she  waved  as  a  charm.  About  ten  of  the  Imbozhwa  were 
killed,  but  dead  and  wounded  were  at  once  carried  of  by  their 
countrymen.  They  continued  the  assault  from  early  dawn  till 
1  p.  M.,  and  showed  great  bravery,  but  they  wounded  only  two 
with  their  arrows.  Their  care  to  secure  the  wounded  was  admir- 
able ;  two  or  three  at  once  seized  the  fallen  man  and  ran  off 
with  him,  though  pursued  by  a  great  crowd  of  Wanyamwezi  with 
spears,  and  fired  at  by  the  Arabs — Victoria-cross  fellows  truly 
many  of  them  were  !  Those  who  had  a  bunch  of  animals'  tails, 
with  medicine,  tied  to  their  waists,  came  sidling  and  ambling  up 
to  near  the  unfinished  stockade,  and  shot  their  arrows  high  up 
into  the  air,  to  fall  among  the  Wanyamwezi,  then  picked  up  any 
arrows  on  the  field,  ran  back  and  returned  again.  They  thought 
that  by  the  ambling  gait  they  avoided  the  balls,  and  when  these 
whistled  past  them  they  put  down  their  heads,  as  if  to  allow 
them  to  pass  over :  they  had  never  encountered  guns  before. 
When  a  man  was  killed  and  not  carried  off,  the  Wanyamwezi 
brought  his  head  and  put  it  on  a  pole  on  the  stockade  ;  six  heads 
were  thus  placed.  A  fine  young  man  was  caught  and  brought  in 
by  the  Wanyemwezi  ;  one  stabbed  him  behind,  and  another  cut 
his  forehead  with  an  axe.  Livingstone  called  in  vain  to  them 
not  to  kill  him.  As  a  last  appeal,  he  said  to  the  crowd  that 
surrounded  him,  "Don't  kill  me,  and  I  shall  take  you  to  where 
the  women  are."  "You  lie,"  said  his  enemies  ;  "you  intend  to 
take  us  where  we  may  be  shot  by  your  friends  ;"  and  they  killed 
him. 

For  two  weeks  or  more  the  Imbozhwa  kept  up  the  siege,  and 
finally  forced  the  Arabs  to  restore  all  the  prisoners  taken  ;  but 
still  they  did  not  leave,  and  when  a  small  party  of  Wanyemwezi 
went  out  to  feel  the  enemy  they  were  set  upon  and  driven  back. 
At  length  it  was  decided  to  quietly  abandon  the  stockade  at  night, 
and  under  cover  of  darkness  steal  away,  a  stratagem  which  worked 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  369 

successfully,  and  on  December  llth  Livingstone,  in  company 
with  the  Arabs  and  their  strings  of  wretched  slaves,  yoked 
together  in  heavy  slave-sticks,  started  for  Ujiji.  It  was  with 
great  disgust  and  humiliation  that  he  marched  with  such  a  motley 
crowd,  but  self-preservation  compelled  him  to,  for  had  he  under- 
taken to  go  alone  he  would  certainly  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
furious  hordes  which  swarmed  and  plundered  the  country.  For- 
tunately, no  more  enemies  appeared  to  impede  the  march,  but 
owing  to  stoppages  on  account  of  escaping  slaves,  which  the 
Arabs  always  tried  to  recapture,  though  nearly  always  in  vain, 
the  journey  was  a  slow  one.  Many  streams  had  to  be  waded, 
and  this,  with  the  worry  and  lack  of  rest,  brought  the  fever  back 
again  on  Livingstone. 

On  New  Year's  day  the  party  came  to  the  Lof  uko  river,  which 
they  crossed  by  wading  waist  deep  ;  this  exposure,  in  his  already 
enfeebled  condition,  caused  such  severe  illness  that  Livingstone 
was  unable  to  march  any  further.  He  was  attacked  by  pneumonia 
in  the  right  lung,  and  soon  his  brain  became  so  affected  that  he 
lost  count  of  the  days  of  the  week  and  month.  In  his  delirium 
he  fancied  himself  lying  dead  on  the  road  to  Ujiji.  The  Arabs 
were  very  kind,  however,  and  carried  him  for  sixteen  days,  until 
they  arrived  at  Tanganika  Lake.  Here  arrangements  were  at 
once  made  for  transporting  him  by  canoe  to  Ujiji,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  lake,  more  than  one  hundred  miles  north  of  the  point 
where  he  now  lay. 

The  lake  air,  and  some  medicine  administered  by  the  Arabs, 
revived  him,  and  when,  on  February  27,  1869,  he  embarked  for 
Ujiji,  he  was  able  to  sit  up  and  eat  a  little  gruel.  High  winds  on 
the  lake  proved  a  serious  obstacle,  sometimes  days  being  spent 
ashore  on  account  of  dangerous  waves,  so  that  it  was  not  until 
March  14th  that  Ujiji  was  reached. 

Great  was  his  disappointment  to  find  that  only  a  small  part  of 
the  goods  which  he  had  ordered  sent  from  Zanzibar  had  reached 
Ujiji,  the  most  having  been  stolen  by  the  Arab  who  was  commis- 
sioned to  bring  them.  This  was  a  sad  blow,  at  a  time,  too,  when 
his  bodily  infirmities  were  so  great  that  he  had  to  be  assisted  to 
24 


370  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

rise  from  his  bed ;  yet  so  infinite  was  his  patience  and  so  strong 
his  courage,  that  he  mentions  the  fact  only  as  a  passing  event, 
and  hopes  on. 

Ujiji  is  an  Arab  settlement,  and  Livingstone  naturally  expected, 
in  view  of  the  letter  which  he  carried  from  the  Sultan  at  Zanzi- 
bar, to  receive  every  attention  becoming  his  position,  but  instead, 
so  vicious  had  been  the  rule  of  the  governor  at  this  place,  that 
he  would  allow  no  one  to  carry  Livingstone's  communications  to 
the  coast,  lest  the  injustice,  brutality,  and  corruption  of  his  rule 
might  be  made  public.  Anxious  to  communicate  with  civilized 
people,  he  wrote  forty-two  letters  while  in  his  enfeebled  state,  to 
friends  who  had  not  heard  from  him  for  years,  and  entrusted 
them  to  an  Arab  for  conveyance  to  Zanzibar,  but  not  one  of 
these  precious  missives  reached  its  destination. 

While  at  Ujiji  Livingstone  conceived  the  idea  that  the  Tan- 
ganika  was  rather  the  expansion  of  a  river  than  a  lake,  an  opin- 
ion which  he  formed  by  observing  that  there  was  a  current  of 
about  one  mile  per  hour  flowing  northward.  This  led  him  to 
suppose  that  it  was  connected  with  the  Nile,  and  that  indeed  the 
large  chain  of  lakes  in  Central  Africa  were  all  connected,  and 
that  the  Nile  derived  its  waters  from  them  all.  He  therefore 
determined,  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  to  explore  the  region  around 
Lake  Tanganika,  going  as  far  south  as  Lake  Bangweolo,  and 
westward  into  the  Manyuema  country,  to  ascertain  if  the  large 
river  on  that  side  of  Lake  Tanganika  was  the  Nile  or  the  Congo. 
He  sent  again  to  Zanzibar  for  men  and  supplies,  with  little  hope, 
however,  of  receiving  them. 

A  JOURNEY  INTO  THE  MANYUEMA  COUNTRY. 

ALTHOUGH  still  weak  and  much  reduced  in  flesh,  on  the  12th 
of  July  he  procured  a  boat  and  some  rowers,  also  several  carriers, 
and  crossing  Lake  Tanganika  landed  at  Kasinge,  in  pursuance 
of  his  intention  to  visit  the  Manyuema  country,  about  two  hundred 
miles  northwest  of  Ujiji.  This  was  an  unexplored  district,  not 
even  the  Arab  traders  having  ever  visited  it,  chiefly  because  the 
people  were  reputed  to  be  cannibals.  Some  Arab  traders  became 
so  much  interested  in  the  proposed  trip,  that  they  decided  also 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  371 

to  visit  the  country,  since  their  chief  trade  in  the  southwest  was 
now  destroyed,  at  least  for  a  time,  by  the  wars  then  waging. 

A  native  of  Kasinge  was  engaged  by  Livingstone  to  act  as 
guide,  and  on  August  4  the  party  started  on  the  land  journey. 
There  was  no  incident  worthy  of  record  until  September  2d,  when 
they  reached  Katemba,  fairly  exhausted  from  continual  traveling. 
Game  was  plentiful  in  the  vicinity  of  Katemba,  especially  buffa- 
loes and  elephants.  One  of  the  latter  was  killed,  and  Living- 
stone had  the  heart  cooked  for  himself,  and  found  it  a  surpis- 
ingly  savory  dish.  On  the  9th  another  stop  was  made  to  shoot 
elephants  and  buffaloes,  which  were  so  abundant  that  they  were 
scarcely  ever  out  of  sight  from  the  wayside. 

On  arriving  at  Bamberre,  Livingstone  found  a  singular  country 
and  a  curious  people.  The  roadways  were  all  good,  and  appeared 
to  have  been  used  for  hundreds  of  years,  as  indicated  by  worn 
passages  in  the  1'ocks,  sometimes  two  or  more  feet  deep.  The 
forests  were  so  dense  that  nothing  but  wild  animals  could  pene- 
trate them,  so  that  though  game  is  wonderfully  plentiful,  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  shoot.  The  people  tattoo  themselves  with 
figures  of  crocodiles,  elephants,  and  other  animals.  The  houses 
are  all  kept  well  filled  with  firewood  on  shelves,  and  each  has  a 
bed  on  a  raised  platform  in  an  inner  room.  They  were  so  simple 
and  unused  to  strangers  that  on  the  appearance  of  the  white 
traveler  they  thought  he  had  come  from  another  world  to  kill 
them.  They  have  little  wooden  idols  and  charms,  and  believe  in 
the  eflScacy  of  the  beetle  to  prevent  harm.  There  is  a  wood  in 
this  country  which,  when  burned,  emits  a  horrible  fecal  odor, 
.and,  as  Livingstone  says,  "one  would  think  the  camp  polluted 
if  the  fire  were  made  of  it." 

SOLDIER-ANTS. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  quarters  were  very  comfortable  at  Manyuema, 
and  he  improved  in  health  and  flesh  rapidly.  The  only  incon- 
venience suffered  was  from  the  depredations  of  soldier-ants,  which 
filled  his  hut  and  not  only  destroyed  every  kind  of  food  within 
their  reach,  but  at  times  they  would  even  attack  the  occupants. 
But  these  ants  have  deadly  enemies  in  what  is  called  the  sirufu 


372 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ant,  which  sometimes  swarm  into  the  huts  and  devour  every 
soldier-ant  in  them  ;  an  incident  of  this  kind  occurred  in  Living- 
stone's hut,  which  he  describes  as  follows  : 

"A  whole  regiment  of  soldier-ants  in  rny  hut  were  put  into  a 
panic  by  a  detachment  of  driver-ants,  called  sirufu.  The  chungu, 
or  black  soldiers,  rushed  out  with  their  eggs  and  young,  putting 
them  down  and  running  for  more.  A  dozen  sirufu  pitched  on  one 
chungu  and  killed  him.  The  chungu  made  new  quarters  for 
themselves.  When  the  white  ants  cast  off  their  colony  of  winged 


METHOD   OF  CATCHING  ANTS   FOR    FOOD. 


emigrants,  a  canopy  is  erected  like  an  umbrella  over  the  ant-hill. 
As  soon  as  ants  fly  against  the  roof  they  tumble  down  in  a 
shower,  and  their  wings  instantly  become  detached  from  their 
bodies.  They  are  then  helpless,  and  are  swept  up  in  baskets  to 
be  fried,  when  they  make  a  very  palatable  food." 

The  soldier-ants  are  deadly  enemies  of  the  white  species,  and 
if  it  were  not  so,  the  latter  would  overrun  the  country,  as  they 
increase  with  great  rapidity.  When  on  their  way  to  attack  tb> 


THE  WORLD'S  WOXDERS.  373 

abode  of  the  white  ants,  they  march  in  a  column  of  three  or  four 
abreast,  like  soldiers,  and  are  led  by  several  officers,  who  are 
larger  than  the  rest  and  direct  their  movements,  but  never  carry 
loads.  As  they  approach  the  homes  of  their  victims,  the  latter 
may  be  observed  rushing  about  in  the  greatest  alarm.  The  black 
leaders  seize  the  white  ants  one  by  one,  and  inflict  a  sting,  which 
seems  to  inject  a  portion  of  fluid  similar  in  effect  to  chloroform, 
as  it  renders  them  insensible,  but  not  dead,  and  only  able  to  move 
one  or  two  front  legs.  As  the  leaders  toss  them  on  one  side,  the 
rank  and  file  seize  them  and  carry  them  off. 

The  natives  of  nearly  all  parts  of  Africa  are  exceedingly  fond 
of  white  ants  as  a  dish.  On  one  occasion,  while  camping  on  the 
banks  of  the  Zouga,  Livingstone  was  visited  by  a  chief,  and  as  he 
was  at  dinner  at  the  time,  he  gave  him  apiece  of  bread  and  some 
preserved  apricots.  The  chief  seemed  to  relish  it  very  much, 
and  Livingstone  asked  him  if  he  had  anything  equal  to  that  in  his 
country.  "Ah,"  said  he,  "did  you  ever  taste  white  ants?" 
Livingstone  assured  him  that  he  had  never  tried  that  delicacy. 
"  Well,  if  you  had,"  replied  the  chief,  licking  his  mouth  with 
pleasant  memories,  "you  never  could  have  desired  anything 
better." 

AMONG   THE   TREE    DWELLERS. 

AFTER  more  than  a  month's  stay  among  the  Manyuema,  chiefly 
atBambarre,  Livingstone  concluded  to  explore  the  Lualaba  river, 
which  is  a  stream  of  considerable  size,  flowing  through  the  Man- 
yuema country  and  discharging  its  waters  into  Lake  Kamalondo, 
to  the  south.  On  the  journey  he  met  with  no  little  opposition 
from  the  natives  ;  some  of  these  people  mistrusted  his  intentions 
and  endeavored  to  turn  him  back,  but  great  caution  prevented  a 
collision.  The  women,  all  of  whom  are  stark  naked,  appeared 
more  hostile,  or,  rather  captious,  than  the  men,  but  a  few  beads 
or  other  trinkets  usually  placated  them. 

Ivory  was  exceedingly  plentiful,  and  little  or  no  value  was 
placed  upon  it  by  the  natives.  The  Arab  traders  brought  with 
them  several  slaves,  with  the  expectation  of  trading  them  to  the 
Manyueuias  for  ivory,  but  the  latter  would  ha^o  none  but  female 


374  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

slaves,  which  they  desired  for  wives,  and  refused  to  receive  a  man 
slave  even  as  a  present.  This  was  a  sore  disappointment  to  the 
Arabs,  who  scarcely  knew  what  to  do  with  their  slaves,  unless 
they  liberated  them.  They  finally  concluded  to  go  further  north 
and  try  traffic  with  other  natives. 

Livingstone  met  with  no  better  success  than  the  Arabs,  for 
with  all  his  persuasion  and  proffers  of  presents  he  could  not  hire 
a  canoe,  and  was  forced  to  abandon  his  intended  exploration  of 
the  Lualaba. 

The  forests  which  lined  the  road  were  exceedingly  dense,  and 
Livingstone  noticed  that  wherever  any  clearing  had  been  attempted 
gigantic  grass  usurped  the  place  in  a  very  short  time  ;  this  grass, 
however,  is  burned  frequently.  Large  trees  do  not  readily  suc- 
cumb to  the  fire,  but  put  out  new  wood  below  the  burnt  places. 
Upon  these  Livingstone  found  large  numbers  of  parrots  building 
their  nests,  while  above  the  natives  construct  straw  huts  and  live 
secure  from  the  attacks  of  wild  animals.  The  men  make  a  stair 
up  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  by  tying  climbing  plants  (called 
binayoba)  around,  at  about  four  feet  distance,  as  steps.  Near 
the  confluence  of  the  Luamo  men  build  huts  on  this  same  species 
of  tree  for  safety  against  the  arrows  of  their  enemies. 

A   SINGING   FROG   AND   FISH   THAT    GIVE   MILK. 

BEING  defeated  in  his  purpose  of  exploring  the  river,  Living- 
stone returned  to  Bambarre,  and  there  joined  the  Arabs  in  a 
journey  to  the  North.  The  route  lay  through  a  marshy  district, 
and  so  many  streams  had  to  be  crossed  that  fever  again  attacked 
him,  which,  aided  by  a  severe  spell  of  dysentery,  so  exhausted 
his  strength  that  he  could  scarcely  support  himself.  They  came 
to  a  village  among  fine  gardens  of  maize,  bananas,  ground-nuts 
and  cassava,  butthe  villagers  said,  "  Go  on  to  next  village,"  which 
meant,  "We  don't  want  you  here."  The  main  body  of  the 
Arabs  was  about  three  miles  in  advance  ;  but  Livingstone  was  so 
iveak  he  sat  down  in  the  next  hamlet,  and  asked  for  a  hut  to  rest 
in.  A  woman  with  leprous  hands  gave  him  hers,  a  nice  clean 
Okie,  and  a  very  heavy  rain  came  on  :  of  her  own  accord  she  pre- 
pared dumplings  of  green  maize,  pounded  and  boiled,  which  are 


THE  WORLD'S   WONDERS.  375 

sweet,  for  she  said  that  she  saw  he  was  hungry.  Seeing  that  he 
did  not  eat  for  fear  of  the  leprosy,  she  kindly  pressed  him  : 
"Eat;  you  are  weak  only  from  hunger;  this  will  strengthen 
you."  He  put  it  out  of  her  sight,  and  blessed  her  motherly 
heart. 

February  3d  Livingstone  made  the  following  memoranda ; 
"Caught  in  a  drenching  rain,  which  made  me  fain  to  sit, 
exhausted  as  I  was,  under  an  umbrella  for  an  hour  trying  to  keep 
the  trunk  dry.  As  I  sat  in  the  rain,  a  little  tree-frog,  about  half 
an  inch  long,  leaped  on  to  a  grassy  leaf,  and  began  a  tune  as  loud 
as  that  of  many  birds,  and  very  sweet ;  it  was  surprising  to  hear 
so  much  music  out  of  so  small  a  musician." 

After  a  rest  of  eight  days,  during  which  time  he  used  water 
only  that  had  been  boiled,  and  lived  principally  upon  a  species  of 
potatoes  called  nyumbo,  much  famed  among  the  natives  as  a 
restorative,  Livingstone  found  his  health  very  much  improved. 
The  village  in  which  he  was  resting  was  on  the  banks  of  a  con- 
fluent of  the  Lualaba,  which  abounded  with  fish  ;  among  the  sev- 
eral species  is  one  called  mamba,  which  has  breasts  with  milk, 
and  which  utters  a  peculiar  cry.  Its  flesh  is  very  white  and 
savory.  While  here  an  elephant  was  killed  which  had  three 
tusks,  all  of  good  size  ;  the  third  tusk  grew  out  from  the  base  of 
the  trunk,  midway  between  the  other  two. 

On  June  26th  Livingstone  resolved  to  start  again  for  the  Lu- 
alaba river  by  a  northwest  route,  although  he  had  been  deserted 
by  all  but  three  of  his  followers,  Chuma,  Susi  and  Gardner. 
His  purpose  was  accelerated  by  the  fact  that  the  Arabs  had  made 
war  on  the  Manyuema  people,  ostensibly  on  account  of  a  string 
of  beads  which  had  been  stolen,  but  really  because  they  could 
not  trade  their  men  slaves  for  ivory ;  forty  of  the  natives  had 
been  killed  and  several  villages  burned.  Knowing  that  general 
hostilities  would  follow,  Livingstone  decided  that  Arabs  were 
bad  companions,  and  that  he  would  be  safer  alone  than  with 
them.  But  for  once  he  made  a  mistake.  After  traveling  several 
days,  wading  rivers  breast  and  neck  deep,  through  awful  beds  of 
mud,  over  fallen  trees  and  through  dense  brush,  he  discoverd 


376  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

that  the  Lualaba  did  not  lay  where  he  expected  to  find  it,  but  he 
had  gone  far  to  the  north,  directly  away  from  the  object  of  his 
search.  His  feet  were  dreadfully  lacerated,  and  instead  of  heal- 
ing, as  heretofore,  the  sores  became  irritable  eating  ulcers,  so 
painful  that  it  was  only  by  the  utmost  determination  that  he 
could  limp  back  to  Bambarre. 

THE    MANYUEMA    CANNIBALS. 

LIVINGSTONE  had  heard  much  concerning  the  cannibal  propen- 
sities of  the  Manyuerna  people,  but  principally  from  the  tribes 
around  Lake  Nyassa,  so  that  he  was  disposed  to  believe  the  reports 
were  little  else  than  traditions,  similar  to  those  which  asserted 
that  white  men  live  in  the  sea,  that  there  is  a  tribe  in  North 
Africa  whose  people  have  tails  like  cows,  and  another  race  that 
have  four  eyes,  two  in  front  and  two  behind,  while  another  race 
have  but  a  single  eye.  Actual  contact  of  several  months  with  the 
Mauyuema,  however,  convinced  him  that  the  reports  he  had 
received  of  them  were  in  no  wise  exaggerated.  He  says:  "On 
August  17th,  Monayembe,  the  chief,  came,  bringing  two  goats ; 
one  he  gave  to  Mohamed,  the  other  to  Moenekuss'  son,  acknowl- 
edging that  he  had  killed  his  elder  brother  ;  he  had  killed  eleven 
persons  over  at  Linamo  in  our  absence,  in  addition  to  those  killed 
in  villages  on  our  southeast,  when  we  were  away.  It  transpired 
that  Kandahara,  brother  of  old  Moenekuss,  whose  village  is  near 
this,  killed  three  women  and  a  child,  and  that  a  trading  man 
came  over  from  Kassangangaye  and  was  murdered  too,  for  no 
reason  but  to  eat  his  body.  When  they  tell  of  each  other's  deeds 
they  disclose  a  horrid  state  of  blood-thirsty  callousness.  The 
people  over  a  hill  north-northeast  of  this  killed  a  person  out 
hoeing ;  if  a  man  is  alone  in  a  field,  he  is  almost  sure  of  being 
slain.  Some  said  that  people  in  the  vicinity  j  or  hyenas,  stole  the 
buried  dead  ;  but  Posho's  wife  died  and,  in  Wanyainwesi  fashion, 
was  thrown  out  of  camp  unburied.  Mohamed  threatened  an 
attack  if  Manyuema  did  not  cease  exhuming  the  dead.  It  was 
effectual ;  neither  men  nor  hyenas  touched  her,  though  exposed 
now  for  seven  days. 

"The  head  of  Moenekuss  is  said  to  be  preserved  in  a  pot  in 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  377 

his  house,  and  all  public  matters  are  gravely  communicated  to  it, 
as  if  his  spirit  dwelt  therein  ;  his  body  was  eaten  ;  the  flesh  was 
removed  from  the  head  and  eaten  too  ;  his  father's  head  is  said  to 
be  kept  also.  The  foregoing  refers  to  Bambarre  alone.  In  other 
districts  graves  show  that  sepulture  is  customary,  but  here  no 
grave  appears :  some  admit  the  existence  of  the  practice  here, 
others  deny  it.  In  the  Metamba  country,  adjacent  to  the  Lualaba, 
a  quarrel  with  a  wife  often  ends  in  the  husband  killing  her  and 
eating  her  heart,  mixed  up  in  a  huge  mess  of  goat's  flesh  ;  this 
has  the  charm  character.  Fingers  are  taken  as  charms  in  other 
parts,  but  in  Bambarre  alone  is  the  depraved  taste  the  motive  for 
cannibalism." 

A    GORILLA,  OR   SOKO,  HUNT. 

FOR  a  period  of  eighty  days  Livingstone  was  laid  up  at  Bam- 
barre by  the  ulcerations  in  his  feet.  The  only  thing  which 
afforded  the  slightest  relief  was  malachite,  rubbed  down  with 
water  on  a  stone  and  applied  with  a  feather.  While  he  was  suffer- 
ing with  this  worst  of  all  afflictions  thirty  slaves  died  in  Bam- 
barre of  the  same  complaint,  which  shows  with  what  fatality  it 
attacks  the  natives. 

During  his  prolonged  enforced  stay  at  Bambarre  some  natives 
went  on  a  gorilla  hunt,  that  animal  being  quite  numerous  through- 
out the  Manyuema  country,  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the 
gorilla  of  which  Livingstone  writes,  and  which  he  usually  calls  a 
soko,  is  a  species  of  chimpanzee,  and  not  the  true  gorilla,  which 
is  much  larger  than  the  animal  referred  to  in  the  following  des- 
cription which  he  gives  of  the  hunt  and  the  animal : 

"  Four  gorillas,  or  sokos,  were  killed  yesterday :  an  extensive 
grass-burning  forced  them  out  of  their  usual  haunt,  and  coming 
on  the  plain,  they  were  speared.  They  often  go  erect,  but  place 
the  hand  on  the  head,  as  if  to  steady  the  body.  When  seen 
thus,  the  soko  is  an  ungainly  beast.  The  most  sentimental  young 
lady  would  not  call  him  a  *  dear,'  but  a  bandy-legged,  pot-bellied, 
low-looking  villain,  without  a  particle  of  the  gentleman  in  him. 
Other  animals  are  graceful,  especially  the  antelope,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  them,  either  at  rest  or  in  motion.  The  natives  are 


378  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

also  well  made,  lithe,  and  comely  to  behold,  but  the  soko,  if 
large,  would  do  well  to  stand  for  a  picture  of  the  devil.  He 
takes  away  my  appetite  by  his  disgusting  bestiality  of  appear- 
ance. His  light-yellow  face  shows  off  his  ugly  whiskers  and 
faint  apology  of  a  beard  ;  the  forehead,  villainously  low,  with 
high  ears,  is  well  in  the  back-ground  of  the  great  dog-mouth  ; 
the  teeth  are  slightly  human,  but  the  canines  show  the  beast  by 
their  large  development.  The  hands,  or  rather  the  fingers,  are 
like  those  of  the  natives.  The  flesh  of  the  feet  is  yellow,  and 
the  eagerness  with  which  the  Manvuemas  devour  it  leaves  the 

it 

impression  that  eating  sokos  was  the  first  stage  by  which  they 
arrived  at  being  cannibals  ;  they  say  the  flesh  is  delicious.  The 
soko  is  represented  by  some  to  be  extremely  knowing,  success- 
fully stalking  men  and  women  while  at  their  work,  kidnapping 
children  and  running  up  trees  with  them  :  he  seems  to  be  amused 
by  the  sight  of  the  young  native  in  his  arms,  but  comes  down 
when  tempted  by  a  bunch  of  bananas,  and,  as  he  lifts  that,  drops 
the  child  :  the  young  soko  in  such  a  case  would  cling  closely  to 
the  arm-pit  of  the  elder.  One  man  was  cutting  out  honey  from 
a  tree,  and  naked,  when  a  soko  suddenly  appeared  and  caught 
him,  then  let  him  go.  Another  man  was  hunting,  and  missed  in 
his  attempt  to  stab  a  soko  :  it  seized  the  spear  and  broke  it,  then 
grappled  with  the  man,  who  called  to  his  companions,  '  Soko  has 
caught  me :'  the  soko  bit  off  the  ends  of  his  fingers  and  escaped 
unharmed.  Both  men  are  now  alive  at  Bambarre. 

"  The  soko  is  so  cunning,  and  has  such  sharp  eyes,  that  no  one 
can  stalk  him  in  front  without  being  seen  ;  hence,  when  shot  it  is 
always  in  the  back  ;  when  surrounded  by  men  and  nets,  he  is 
generally  speared  in  the  back,  too  ;  otherwise  he  is  not  a  very 
formidable  beast ;  he  is  nothing,  as  compared  in  power  of  darn- 
aging  his  assailant,  to  a  leopard  or  lion,  but  is  more  like  a  man 
unarmed,  for  it  does  not  occur  to  him  to  use  his  canine  teeth, 
which  are  long  and  formidable.  Numbers  of  them  come  down 
in  the  forest  within  a  hundred  yards  of  our  camp,  and  would  be 
unknown  but  for  giving  tongue  like  fox-hounds :  this  is  their 
nearest  approach  to  speech.  A  man  hoeing  was  stalked  by  a 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


379 


soko  and  seized  ;  he  roared  out,  hut  the  soko  giggled  and  grinned, 
and  left  him  as  if  he  had  done  it  in  play.  A  child  caught  up  by 
a  soko  is  often  abused  by  being  pinched  and  scratched,  and  let  fall. 


"  The  soko  kills  the  leopard  occasionally,  by  seizing  both  paws 
and  biting  them  so  as  to  disable  them  ;  he  then  goes  up  a  tree, 
groans  oyer  his  wounds,  and  sometimes  recovers,  while  the  leop- 
ard dies :  at  other  times  both  soko  and  leopard  die.  The  lion 


380  THE  WORLD'S  AVON  DEES. 

kills  him  at  once,  and  sometimes  tears  his  limbs  off,  but  does  not 
eat  him.  The  soko  eats  no  flesh  ;  small  bananas  are  his  dainties, 
but  not  maize.  His  food  consists  of  wild  fruits,  which  abound. 
The  soko  brings  forth  at  times  twins.  A  very  large  soko  was 
seen  by  Mohamed's  hunters  sitting  picking  his  nails  :  they  tried 
to  stalk  him,  but  he  vanished.  Some  Manyuema  think  that  their 
buried  dead  rise  as  sokos,  and  one  was  killed  with  holes  in  his 
ears,  as  if  he  had  been  a  man.  He  is  very  strong,  and  fears 
guns,  but  not  spears  ;  he  never  catches  women. 

"  Sokos  collect  together,  and  make  a  drumming  noise,  some 
say  with  hollow  trees,  then  burst  forth  into  loud  yells,  which  are 
well  knitated  by  the  natives'  embryotic  music.  If  a  man  has  no 
spear  the  soko  goes  away  satisfied  ;  but  if  wounded,  he  seizes  the 
wrist,  lops  off  the  fingers,  and  spits  them  out,  slaps  the  cheeks 
of  his  victim,  and  bites  without  breaking  the  skin  :  he  draws  out 
a  spear  (but  never  uses  it),  and  takes  some  leaves  and  stuffs 
them  into  his  wound  to  staunch  the  blood  :  he  does  not  wish  an 
encounter  with  an  armed  man.  He  sees  women  do  him  no  harm, 
and  never  molests  them :  a  man  without  a  spear  is  nearly  safe 
from  him.  They  beat  hollow  trees  as  drums  with  hands,  and 
then  scream  as  music  to  it :  when  men  hear  them  they  go  to  the 
sokos,  but  sokos  never  go  to  men  with  hostility.  Manyuema  say, 
'  Soko  is  a  man,  and  nothing  bad  in  him.' 

"  They  live  in  communities  of  about  ten,  each  having  his  own 
female  :  an  intruder  from  another  camp  is  beaten  off  with  their 
fists  and  loud  yells.  If  one  tries  to  seize  the  female  of  another, 
he  is  caught  on  the  ground,  and  all  unite  in  boxing  and  biting 
the  offender.  A  male  often  carries  a  child,  especially  if  they 
are  passing  from  one  patch  of  forest  to  another  over  a  grassy 
space  ;  he  then  gives  it  to  the  mother." 

A  MARVELOUS-LY  IGNORANT  PEOPLE. 

LIVINGSTONE  was  detained  at  Bambarre  a  considerable  time, 
even  after  his  ulcerated  feet  had  healed,  for,  since  all  but  three 
of  his  men  had  deserted,  he  was  forced  to  send  back  to  Ujiji  for 
more,  expecting  now  the  arrival  of  those  sent  for  to  Zanzibar,  as 
before  explained ;  but  he  was  doomed  to  sorest  disappointment, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  381 

Nothing  could  engage  his  attention  during  this  long  delay  except 
the  habits  of  the  Manyuema,  whose  characteristics,  however, 
were  striking  enough.  His  journal  at  Bambarre  is  therefore 
rambling  and  ("sconnected,  giving  information  on  a  variety  of 
matters,  just  a.  they  chanced  to  come  under  his  observation,  as 
the  following  wiJl  show : 

"December  16,  1870. — Oh,  for  Dugumbe  or  Syde  to  come! 
(the  messengers  sent  to  Zanzibar  for  men  and  medicine)  but  this 
delay  may  be  all  for  the  best.  The  parrots  all  seize  their  food 
and  hold  it  with  the  left  hand  ;  the  lion,  too,  is  left-handed  ;  he 
strikes  with  the  left;  so  are  all  animals  left-handed,  save  man. 

"I  noticed  a  very  pretty  woman  come  past  quite  jauntily  about 
a  month  ago,  on  marriage  with  Monasiamba.  Ten  goats  were 
given  ;  her  friends  came  and  asked  another  goat,  which  being 
refused,  she  was  enticed  away,  became  sick  of  rheumatic  fever 
two  days  afterward,  and  died  yesterday.  Not  a  syllable  of 
regret  for  the  beautiful  young  creature  does  one  hear  ;  but  for  the 
goats — '  Oh,  our  ten  goats  !' — they  cannot  grieve  too  much — 'Our 
ten  goats — oh  !  oh  !' 

"  Basanga  wail  over  those  who  die  in  bed,  but  not  over  those 
who  die  in  battle :  the  cattle  are  a  salve  for  all  sores. 

"A  man  died  near  this:  Monasiamba  went  to  his  wife,  and 
after  washing  he  may  appear  among  men.  If  no  widow  can  be 
obtained  he  must  sit  naked  behind  his  house  tilt  some  one  hap- 
pens to  die  ;  all  the  clothes  he  wore  are  thrown  away.  The  man 
who  killed  a  woman  without  cause  goes  free  ;  he  offered  his 
grandmother  to  be  killed  in  his  stead,  but  after  a  great  deal  of 
talk  nothing  was  done  with  him.  'Heresi,'  a  ball  of  hair  rolled 
in  the  stomach  of  a  lion,  is  a  grand  charm  to  the  animal  and  to 
Arabs.  Mohamed  has  one. 

"Lions'  fat  is  regarded  as  a  sure  preventive  of  tsetse  or  bungo. 
This  was  noted  before,  but  I  add  now  that  it  is  smeared  on  the 
ox's  tail,  and  preserves  hundreds  of  the  Wanyamwesi  cattle  in 
safety  while  going  to  the  coast :  it  is  also  used  to  keep  pigs  and 
hippopotami  away  from  gardens  ;  the  smell  is  probably  the  effi- 
cacious part  of  the  'herisi,'  as  they  call  it. 


382  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

"The  neggeri,  an  African  animal,  attacks  the  tenderest  parts 
of  man  and  beast,  cuts  them  off,  and  retires  contented  ;  buffaloes 
are  often  castrated  by  him.  Men  who  know  it  squat  down,  and 
kill  him  with  knife  or  gun.  The  zibu,  or  mbuine,  flies  at  the 
tendon  Achilles  ;  it  is  most  likely  the  ratel." 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

DEPARTURE   FROM     BAMBARRE. 

ON  Februaiy  4  Livingstone  was  much  encouraged  by  a  report 
that  ten  of  his  men  from  the  coast  were  come  near  to  Bambarre, 
and  would  arrive  that  day.  In  his  great  exultation  he  writes : 
*'  I  am  extremely  thankful  to  hear  it,  for  it  assures  me  that  my 
packet  of  letters  was  not  destroyed.  They  know  at  home  by 
this  time  what  has  detained  me,  and  the  end  to  which  I  strain  !" 

On  the  next  day,  however,  his  hopes  were  dissipated,  when  his 
men  arrived  with  the  information  that  only  one  of  his  letters 
reached  Zanzibar.  After  referring  to  his  disappointment  he 
writes:  "James  was  killed  by  an  arrow  to-day;  the  assassins 
hid  in  the  forest  till  my  men,  going  to  buy  food,  came  up.  They 
found  indisputable  proof  that  his  body  had  been  eaten  by  the 
Manyuema  who  lay  in  ambush." 

DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    PEOPLE. 

ON  the  16th  of  February  Livingstone  started  from  Bambarre 
again  on  a  third  attempt  to  explore  the  Lualaba  river.  The 
people  whose  villages  he  passed  through  generally  received  him 
kindly,  as  his  reputation  for  justice,  as  distinguished  from  the 
depredations  of  the  Arabs,  had  preceded  him.  Before  getting 
out  of  the  Manyuema  country  he  adds  another  paragraph  to  his 
journal,  concerning  the  comely  features  of  the  people,  in  the 
following  language : 

"  The  Manyuema  are  far  more  beautiful  than  either  the  bond 
or  free  of  Zanzibar;  I  overheard  the  remark  often,  'If  we  had 
Manyuema  wives,  what  beautiful  children  we  should  beget,' 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


383 


The  men  are  usually  handsome,  and  many  of  the  women  are  very 
pretty  ;  hands,  feet,  limbs,  and  forms  perfect  in  shape,  and  the 
color  light-brown,  but  the  orifices  of  the  nose  are  widened  by 
snuff-takers,  who  ram  it  up  as  far  as  they  can  with  the  fiuger  and 
thumb  :  the  teeth  are  not  filed,  except  a  small  space  between  the 
two  upper  front  teeth.  The  men  here  deny  that  cannibalism  is 
common  :  they  eat  only  those  killed  in  war,  and,  it  seems,  in  re- 
venge ;  for,  said  Mokandira,  *  the  meat  is  not  nice  ;  it  makes  one 


MANYUEMA  WARRIORS. 

dream  of  the  dead  man.'  Some  west  of  Lualaba  eat  even  those 
bought  for  the  purpose  of  a  feast ;  but  I  am  not  quite  positive  on 
this  point :  all  agree  in  saying  that  human  flesh  is  saltish,  and 
needs  but  little  condiment.  And  yet  they  are  a  fine-looking  race. 
I  would  back  a  company  of  Manyuema  men  to  be  far  superior  in 
shape  of  head,  and  generally  in  physical  form  too,  against  the 
whole  Anthropological  Society.  Many  of  the  women  are  very 
light-colored,  and  very  pretty  ;  they  dresa  in  a  kilt  of  many  folds 
of  gaudy  lambas," 


384  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  LUALABA. 

ON  the  30th  of  March,  after  a  pleasant  journey  of  about  fifty 
miles,  Livingstone  reached  the  Lualaba  river  at  a  village  called 
Nyangwe.  He  found  the  stream  to  be  much  larger  than  he 
expected,  at  its  narrowest  parts  being  at  least  half-a-mile  broad 
and  so  deep  that  at  no  season  of  the  year  is  it  fordable  ;  the  banks 
are  steep  and  deep,  though  the  current  is  hardly  more  than  two 
miles  an  hour,  running  toward  the  north.  Several  soundings 
showed  a  depth  from  nine  feet  near  shore  to  twenty  feet  in  the 
center  of  the  stream.  Villages  lined  the  river  bank,  and  so 
numerous  are  the  people  that  one  morning  Livingstone  counted 
seven  hundred  market  women  file  past  him.  Yet,  notwithstand- 
ing the  great  number  of  people,  he  was  unable  to  get  any  canoes  ; 
to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  natives,  he  built  a  hut  and  concluded 
to  remain  awhile  among  them,  or  until  they  concluded  to  assist 
him. 

The  market  scenes  in  the  villages  along  the  river  are  interest- 
ing and  not  altogether  unlike  those  which  may  be  witnessed  in 
Billingsgate  fish-market,  except  in  the  articles  offered  for  sale. 
Here  were  queer  vessels,  snails,  fruits,  cowrie-shells,  and  name- 
less things  without  number.  One  man  had  ten  human  under- 
jaw-bones  hung  by  a  string  over  his  shoulder ;  on  inquiry,  he 
professed  to  have  killed  and  eaten  the  owners,  and  showed  with 
his  knife  how  he  cut  up  his  victims.  When  Livingstone  expressed 
disgust  he  and  others  laughed.  Two  nice  girls  were  trying 
to  sell  their  venture,  which  was  roasted  white  ants,  called 
"gumbe." 

A   DREADFUL   MASSACRE. 

A  VERT  popular  market  had  been  established  at  the  village  of 
Nyangwe,  where  Livingstone  and  a  party  of  Arabs  were  stopping, 
to  which  hundreds  of  people  came  daily  with  their  simple  wares, 
from  both  sides  of  the  river.  No  fear  of  the  dreadful  sequel 
seemed  to  haunt  the  natives,  but  the  Arabs  had  determined  to 
turn  this  little  earthly  paradise  into  a  hell  of  murder.  It  was 
almost  an  invariable  custom  with  them  to  add  murder  to  their 
other  horrid  crimes,  and  as  the  traffic  in  slaves  among  the  natives 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEKS. 


of  the  Lualaba  had  not  been  profitable,  they  seemed  more  blood- 
thirsty than  usual. 

One  morning  Livingstone  was  startled  by  the  sound  of  gunsir 


the  market,  and  running  out  of  his  hut,  he  saw  that  the  massacre 
had  commenced.     Arabs  were  firing  indiscriminately  upon  the 
people,  hundreds  of  whom  had  come  to  the  market  that  day. 
26 


386  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  murdering  was  continued  nearly  all  day  ;  seventeen  villages 
were  burnt,  and  many  hundreds  of  the  natives  killed.  Living- 
stone  saved  scores  who  rushed  to  him  for  protection,  the  Arabs 
not  daring  to  murder  them  in  his  presence.  He  exerted  himself 
to  the  utmost  to  stop  the  bloodshed,  and  also  ministered  to  the 
wounded,  and  showed  a  friendship  which  the  natives  had  never 
known  before.  An  old  man,  called  Kabono,  came  to  him  and 
asked  for  his  wife,  who  had  taken  shelter,  like  many  others, 
under  Livingstone's  protection.  Kabono  expected  him  to  keep 
her  as  a  slave,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Arabs,  and  even 
the  natives,  unless  he  could  buy  her  back  ;  he  was,  therefore,  not 
prepared  for  the  good  luck  which  awaited  him.  Turning  to  the 
old  woman,  Livingstone  asked  her  if  Kabono  was  her  husband  ; 
she  went  to  the  old  man,  and  putting  her  arms  lovingly  around 
him,  replied,  "  Yes."  Livingstone  gave  them,  in  addition  to  his 
blessings,  five  strings  of  beads  with  which  to  buy  food,  as  all 
their  stores  had  been  destroyed  with  their  home.  She  bowed 
down  and  put  her  forehead  to  the  ground  as  an  expression  of  her 
thanks,  Kabono  did  the  same  ;  tears  stood  in  their  eyes  as  they 
went  away. 

FORCED    TO   RETURN   TO   UJIJI. 

ALL  the  canoes  available  were  taken  by  the  Arabs,  so  that,  how- 
ever friendly  the  natives  might  be  with  Livingstone,  he  could  not 
get  a  single  boat ;  but  this  was  not  his  worst  misfortune,  for  the 
hostilities  now  inaugurated  so  frightened  the  men  (who  were 
Banian  slaves)  sent  to  him  from  Zanzibar,  that  they  ran  off  and 
made  their  way  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  coast.  Here  was  a  ter- 
rible dilemma  to  face  ;  nothing  but  a  return  to  Ujiji,  nearly  six 
hundred  miles  distant,  was  possible,  and  accordingly,  on  July 
20th,  he  again  turned  his  back  on  the  Lualaba  without  having 
made  a  last  exploration  of  its  source  or  outletc 

A  few  Arabs  and  friendly  Manyuemas  accompanied  him  back 
to  Bambarre,  but  the  country  was  so  excited  that  traveling  was 
extremely  dangerous.  They  were  frequently  waylaid  and  attacked 
by  scouting  parties  of  Manyuemas,  but  happily  without  serious 
results.  Twice  in  one  day  Livingstone  miraculously  escaped 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


387 


Jeath,  spears  thrown  by  lurking  foes  in  the  thick  jungle  barely 
grazing  him.  On  such  occasions  he  and  his  men  quickly  prepared 
themselves  to  resist  attack,  but  the  natives  would  not  rush  upon 
their  firearms.  This  was  one  of  the  very  few  occasions  durino- 


Livingstone's  entire  African  experience  that  he  was  compelled 
to  resort  to  his  weapons  for  defense,  and  now  only  because  cf 
the  brutality  of  the  Arabs,  who  had  murdered  and  infuriated  tha 
natives. 


388  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

CANNIBALS  CAUGHT  IN  THE  ACT. 

WHILE  traveling  a  short  distance  from  Mamohela  they  came 
upon  some  Manyuemas  who  had  shortly  before  killed  a  man,  and, 
after  cutting  him  up,  were  boiling  his  body  with  bananas  prepar- 
atory to  a  feast.  Livingstone  says  it  is  not  the  want  of  food 
that  has  led  the  Manyuema  to  cannibalism,  for  the  country  is 
full  of  everything,  apparently,  both  vegetable  and  animal,  that 
human  appetite  could  crave.  Says  he  : 

"  Goats,  sheep,  fowls,  dogs,  pigs,  abound  in  the  villages, 
while  the  forest  affords  elephants,  zebras,  buffaloes,  antelopes, 
and  in  the  streams  there  are  many  varieties  of  fish.  The  nitro- 
genous ingredients  are  abundant,  and  they  have  dainties  in  palm- 
toddy  and  tobacco  or  bange.  The  soil  is  so  fruitful  that  mere 
scraping  off  the  weeds  is  as  good  as  plowing ;  so  that  the  reason 
for  cannibalism  does  not  lie  in  starvation  or  in  want  of  animal 
matter,  as  was  said  to  be  the  case  with  the  New  Zealanders.  The 
only  feasible  reason  I  can  discover  is  a  depraved  appetite,  giving 
an  extraordinary  craving  for  meat  which  we  call 'high.'  They 
are  said  to  bury  a  dead  body  for  a  couple  of  days  in  the  soil  in  a 
forest,  and  in  that  time,  owing  to  the  climate,  it  becomes  putrid 
enough  for  the  strongest  stomachs." 

MEETING    WITH    STANLEY. 

ON  the  23d  of  October  Livingstone  reached  Ujiji,  reduced 
almost  to  a  skeleton  and  distressed  by  a  score  of  anxieties,  only 
to  find  that  the  third  lot  of  goods  sent  him  from  Zanzibar  had 
been  stolen,  including  three  thousand  yards  of  calico  and  several 
hundred  pounds  of  beads.  This  last  blow  crushed  the  spirits  of 
the  brave  old  man,  for  he  was  now  reduced  almost  to  beggaiy. 
But  there  was  still  sunshine  behind  the  clouds,  relief  and  joy 
were  near  at  hand.  He  must  tell  in  his  own  language  the  happi- 
ness which  sprung  up  when  hope  was  dying,  the  delightful  turn 
of  fortune's  wheel  which  infused  the  old-time  courage  and  high 
resolve  into  his  heart  again.  He  writes  : 

"But  when  my  spirits  were  at  their  lowest  ebb  the  good 
Samaritan  was  close  at  hand,  for  one  morning  Susi  [his  faithful 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  389 

servant]  came  running  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  gasped  out, 
'An  Englishman  !  I  see  him  !'  and  off  he  darted  to  meet  him. 
The  American  flag  at  the  head  of  a  caravan  told  of  the  nation- 
ality of  the  stranger.  Bales  of  goods,  baths  of  tin,  huge  kettles, 
cooking-pots,  tents,  etc.,  made  me  think,  'This  must  be  a  luxu- 
rious traveler,  and  not  one  at  his  wit's  end  like  me.' 

"  It  was  Henry  Moreland  Stanley,  the  traveling  correspondent 
of  the  New  York  Herald,  sent  by  James  Gordon  Bennett,  junior, 
at  an  expense  of  more  than  $20,000,  to  obtain  accurate  informa- 
tion about  Dr.  Livingstone  if  living,  and  if  dead  to  bring  home 
my  bones.  The  news  he  had  to  tell  to  one  who  had  been  two 
full  years  without  any  tidings  from  Europe,  made  my  whole  frame 
thrill.  The  terrible  fate  that  had  befallen  France — the  telegraphic 
cables  successfully  laid  in  the  Atlantic — the  election  of  General 
Grant — the  death  of  good  Lord  Clarendon,  my  constant  friend — 
the  proof  that  Her  Majesty's  Government  had  not  forgotten  me 
in  voting  $5,000  for  supplies,  and  many  other  points  of  interest, 
revived  emotions  that  had  lain  dormant  in  Manyuema.  Appetite 
returned  ;  and  instead  of  the  spare,  tasteless  two  meals  a  day,  I 
ate  four  times  daily,  and  in  a  week  began  to  feel  strong.  I  am 
not  of  a  demonstrative  turn — as  cold,  indeed,  as  we  islanders 
are  usually  reputed  to  be — but  this  disinterested  kindness  of  Mr. 
Bennett,  so  nobly  carried  into  effect  by  Mr.  Stanley,  was  simply 
overwhelming.  I  really  do  feel  extremely  grateful,  and  at  the 
same  time  I  am  a  little  ashamed  at  not  being  more  worthy  of  the 
generosity.  Mr.  Stanley  has  done  his  part  with  untiring  energy  ; 
good  judgment,  in  the  teeth  of  very  serious  obstacles.  His  help- 
mates turned  outdepiaved  blackguards,  who,  by  their  excesses  at 
Zanzibar  and  elsewhere,  had  ruined  their  constitutions  and  pre- 
pared their  systems  to  be  fit  provender  for  the  grave.  They  had 
used  up  their  strength  by  wickedness,  and  were  of  next  to  no 
service,  but  rather  down-drafts  and  unbearable  drags  to  progress." 

Dr.  Livingstone  on  a  previous  occasion  wrote  from  the  interior 
of  Africa  to  the  effect  that  Lake  Tanganika  poured  its  waters 
into  the  Albert  N'yanza  lake  of  Baker.  At  the  time,  perhaps, 
he  hardly  realized  the  interest  that  such  an  announcement  was 


390  THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 

likely  to  occasion.  He  was  now  shown  the  importance  of  ascer- 
taining by  actual  observation  whether  the  junction  really  existed, 
and  for  this  purpose  he  started  with  Mr.  Stanley  to  explore  the 
region  of  the  supposed  connecting  link  in  the  north,  so  as  to 
verify  the  statements  of  the  Arabs. 

They  procured  a  canoe  at  Ujiji  and  coasted  along  the  shores 
of  the  lake  until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Rusizi  river,  up 
which  they  paddled  for  some  distance,  and  found  that  it  flowed 
into  the  lake  instead  of  out  of  it,  as  Livingstone  had  previously 
supposed,  thus  proving  that  Lake  Tanganika  hud  no  connection 
with  Lake  Albert,  and  therefore  settling  the  question  of  the  Nile's 
sources  in  favor  of  Speke  and  Sir  Samuel  Baker.  Livingstone 
still  believed,  however,  that  the  Nile  had  its  sources  in  certain 
fountains  or  lakes  south  and  west  of  Lake  Tanganika,  and  that 
the  large  river  flowing  to  the  northwest  in  the  Manyuema  country 
was  the  Nile.  It  will  be  seen,  however,  in  subsequent  pages  of 
this  volume,  that  Stanley  proved  this  river  to  be  the  Congo, 
which,  in  honor  of  his  distinguished  friend,  he  renamed  the 
Livingstone. 

Stanley  endeavored  to  persuade  Livingstone  to  go  with  him 
to  England,  and  recuperate  his  health  before  completing  his 
explorations  of  the  Nile  sources,  but  the  Doctor  thought  it  best 
that  he  should  finish  his  work,  and  then  return  to  remain  perma- 
nently. So  they  returned  to  Ujiji,  and  from  thence  proceeded  in 
canoes  to  the  southern  part  of  the  lake,  from  whence  they 
traveled  overland  north-eastwardly  toUnyanyembe.  Here  Stan- 
ley took  a  sad  farewell  of  his  friend  and  proceeded  by  rapid 
marches  to  Zanzibar,  where  he  organized  a  new  force  of  men  and 
sent  them  with  supplies  back  to  Livingstone,  who  remained  at 
Unyanyembe  until  their  arrival. 

WAITING   ALONE. 

DURING  the  interval  between  Stanley's  departure  and  the 
arrival  of  men  and  supplies  from  Zanzibar,  Dr.  Livingstone 
employed  his  time  in  visiting  various  chiefs  and  tribes  who 
inhabit  the  country  near  Unyanyembe,  and  in  making  prepara- 
tions for  his  final  explorations.  He  notes  in  his  journal  during 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  391 

this  period  some  singular  ideas  entertained  by  the  natives  in  regard 
to  the  hereafter.  One  portion  of  primitive  belief — the  continued 
existence  of  departed  spirits — seems  to  have  no  connection  what- 
ever with  dreams,  or,  as  we  should  say,  with  "ghost-seeing;" 
for  great  agony  is  felt  in  prospect  of  bodily  mutilation  or  burning 
of  the  body  after  death,  as  that  is  believed  to  render  return  to 
one's  native  land  impossible.  They  feel  as  if  it  would  shut  them 
off  from  all  intercourse  with  relatives  after  death.  They  would 
lose  the  power  of  doing  good  to  those  once  loved,  and  evil  to 
those  who  deserved  their  revenge. 

A    DEADLY    SERPENT  KILLED    BY    A    CAT. 

ONE  morning  a  serpent  of  dark  olive  color  was  found  dead  at 
Livingstone's  door,  killed  by  his  pet  cat.  Puss  approaches  very 
cautiously,  and  strikes  her  cjaws  into  the  head  with  a  blow 
delivered  as  quick  as  lightning ;  then  holds  the  head  down  with 
both  paws,  heedless  of  the  wriggling  mass  of  coils  behind  it ;  she 
then  bites  the  neck  and  leaves  it,  looking  with  interest  to  the  dis- 
figured head,  as  if  she  knew  that  therein  had  lain  the  hidden 
power  of  mischief. 

DOMESTIC    LIFE    IN   AFRICA. 

IN  many  parts  one  is  struck  by  the  fact  of  the  children  having 
so  few  games.  Life  is  a  serious  business,  and  amusement  is 
derived  from  imitating  the  vocations  of  the  parents — hut-building, 
making  little  gardens,  bows  and  arrows,  shields  and  spears. 
Elsewhere  boys  are  very  ingenious  little  fellows,  and  have  several 
games  ;  they  also  shoot  birds  with  bows,  and  teach  captured  lin- 
nets to  sing.  They  are  expert  in  making  guns  and  traps  for 
small  birds,  and  in  making  and  using  bird-lime.  They  make 
play-guns  of  reed,  which  go  off  with  a  trigger  and  spring,  with  a 
cloud  of  ashes  for  smoke.  Sometimes  they  make  double-barreled 
guns  of  clay,  and  have  cotton-fluff  as  smoke.  The  boys  shoot 
locusts  with  small  toy-guns  very  cleverly. 

HIS   LAST    EXPLORATION. 

ON  the  23d  of  August  the  Doctor  started  on  his  last  explor- 
ation, pursuing  a  course  south  of  west  until  he  arrived  on  the 


392 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


shores  of  Lake  Tauganika,  where  turning  south  he  followed  the 
lake  to  its  southern  extremity  and  around  to  its  southwestern 
line,  from  whence  he  struck  off  almost  due  south  in  the  direction 
of  Lake  Bangweolo.  Soon  after  turnins;  southward  the  country 

O  •/ 

became  low  and  marshy,  and  they  were  compelled  to  wade 
through  water  almost  constantly.  The  party  suffered  greatly 
from  fever,  and  the  Doctor's  old  complaint,  dysentery,  returned 
in  an  aggravated  form,  reducing  his  strength  so  that  the  men  had 


CROSSING  THE  WATER, 

to  carry  him  most  of  the  time,  The  entry  in  his  journal  o? 
January  24th  graphically  describes  the  difficulties  they  had  to 
encounter  on  this  terrible  march  :  "Went  on  east  and  northeast 
to  avoid  the  deep  part  of  a  large  river,  which  requires  two  canoes, 
but  the  men  sent  by  the  chief  would  certs  Inly  hide  them.  Went 
one  hour  and  three-quarter's  journey  to  a  large  stream,  through 
drizzling  rain,  at  least  three  hundred  yards  of  deep  water,  among 
sedges  and  sponges  of  one  hundred  yards.  One  part  was  neck- 
deep  for  fifty  yards,  and  the  water  cold.  We  plunged  in 


THE  •WORLD'S  WONDERS.  395 

elephants'  foot-prints  one  hour  and  a  half,  then  came  in  one  hour 
to  a  small  rivulet  tea  feet  broad,  but  waist-deep  ;  bridge  covered 
and  broken  down.  Carrying  me  across  one  of  the  broad,  deep, 
sedgy  rivers  is  really  a  very  difficult  task.  One  we  crossed  was 
at  least  one  thousand  feet  broad,  or  more  than  three  hundred 
yards.  The  first  part,  the  main  stream,  came  up  to  Susi's  mouth 
and  wetted  my  seat  and  legs.  One  held  up  my  pistol  behind, 
then  one  after  another  took  a  turn  ;  and  when  he  sank  into  a 
elephant's  deep  foot-print,  he  required  two  to  lift  him,  so  as  to 
gain  a  footing  on  the  level,  which  was  over  waist-deep.  Others 
went  on,  and  bent  down  the  grass,  to  insure  some  footing  on  the 
side  of  the  elephant's  path.  Every  ten  or  twelve  paces  brought 
us  to  a  clear  stream,  flowing  fast  in  its  own  channel,  while  over 
all  a  strong  current  came  bodily  through  all  the  rushes  and 
aquatic  plants.  Susi  had  the  first  spell,  then  Farijala,  then  a  tall, 
stout,  Arab-looking  man,  then  Amoda,  then  Chan  da,  then  Wade 
Sale  ;  and  each  time  I  Was  lifted  off  bodily,  and  put  on  another 
pair  of  stout,  willing  shoulders,  and  fifty  yards  put  them  out  of 
breath  :  no  wonder  !  It  was  sore  on  the  women-folk  of  our  party. 
It  took  us  full  an  hour  and  a  half  for  all  to  cross  over,  and 
several  came  over  turn  to  help  me  and  their  friends.  The  water 
was  cold,  and  so  was  the  wind,  but  no  leeches  plagued  us.  We 
had  to  hasten  on  the  building  of  sheds  after  crossing  the  second 
rivulet,  as  rain  threatened  us.  After  4p.M.  it  came  on  a  pouring, 
cold  rain,  when  we  were  all  under  cover.  We  are  anxio-'s  about 
food.  The  lake  is  near,  but  we  are  not  sure  of  provisions,  as 
there  have  been  changes  of  population.  Our  progress  is  distress- 
ingly slow.  Wet,  wet,  wet;  sloppy  weather  truly,  and  no 
observations,  except  that  the  land  near  the  lake  being  very  level, 
the  rivers  spread  out  into  broad  friths  and  sponges." 

The  hemorrhagic  discharge  from  which  Livingstone  suffered 
so  much  was  intensified  by  the  dreadful  exposure  he  was  forced 
to  encounter.  That  he  evidently  saw  great  danger  in  the  constant 
recurrence  of  the  disorder,  is  shown  in  frequent  solemn  reflec- 
tions recorded  in  a  pocket-book  which  he  carried  ;  one  of  these, 
written  Februaiy  14th,  reads  as  follows : 


394  THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 

"If  the  good  Lord  gives  me  favor,  and  permits  me  to  finish 
my  work,  I  shall  thank  and  bless  him,  though  it  has  cost  me 
untold  toil,  pain,  and  travel.  This  trip  has  made  my  hair  all 

gray." 

His  last  birthday,  March  19th,  found  him  on  the  Chambeze 
river,  en  route  for  Bangweolo  lake.  The  river  was  at  its  flood 
from  long-continued  heavy  rains,  and  canoes  were  very  difficult 
to  obtain,  so  that  sore  vexations  plagued  him  into  forget/illness 
of  the  day.  All  the  world  was  dreary  to  him  in  that  dense  soli- 
tude of  savage  nature  over  which  the  very  heavens  wept  in  pity. 

He  waited  beside  the  Chambeze  until  March  16th  before  he 
could  obtain  canoes  to  ferry  his  party  across.  When  he  did  under- 
take the  passage  one  of  the  canoes  was  sunk,  containing  a  large 
number  of  cartridges,  several  guns,  and  a  saddle,  all  of  which 
were  lost.  After  crossing  other  larger  canoes  were  secured,  in 
which  the  party  traveled  in  the  flooded  district,  as  the  paths  were 
fully  six  feet  under  water.  This  mode  of  travel,  however,  was 
excessively  fatiguing,  for  at  short  intervals  the  canoes  would 
have  to  be  dragged  over  dense  sedges  or  spots  of  land,  so  that 
everyone  was  constantly  wet  and  worried  with  the  exhausting 
labor.  All  this  told  seriously  on  Livingstone. 

THE   END    COMES. 

WITH  unexampled  fortitude  he  continued  the  journey,  not- 
withstanding a  rapidly  growing  weakness  which  could  have  but 
one  result.  After  leaving  the  canoes  the  roads  were  full  of 
water,  and  every  step  in  advance  seemed  like  entering  more 
deeply  into  the  slough  of  hopelesness.  He  continued  to  grow 
weaker,  and  at  his  request  his  servants  made  a  litter  in  which  to 
carry  him,  consisting  of  two  side-pieces  of  seven  feet  in  length, 
crossed  with  rails  three  feet  long  and  about  four  inches  apart,  the 
whole  lashed  strongly  together.  This  frame  work  was  covered 
with  grass  and  a  blanket  laid  on  it.  Slung  from  a  pole,  and 
borne  between  two  strong  men,  it  made  a  tolerable  palanquin, 
and  on  this  the  exausted  traveler  was  conveyed  to  the  next  vil- 
lage through  a  flooded  grass  plain.  To  render  the  kitanda  more 
comfortable,  another  blanket  was  suspended  across  the  pole,  so 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


395 


as  to  hang  down  on  either  side,  and  allow  the  air  to  pass  under 
while  the  sun's  rays  were  fended  off  from  the  sick  man. 

April  27th  he  seems  to  have  been  almost  dying,  though  able 
to  make  a  short  entry  in  his  journal,  describing  his  condition  and 
the  location  cf  his  party. 


iiliiiiii'ililHli 

This  was  the  last  entry  he  ever  made.  When  they  reached  a 
village  Livingstone  was  carried  into  a  hut,  but  the  next  morning 
he  was  too  weak  to  bear  such  assistance  as  would  be  required  to 
take  him  out  to  the  litter,  so  one  side  of  the  hut  was  knocked 
out  and  the  kitanda  was  brought  to  him,  and  upon  it  he  was  laid 
with  all  possible  care. 


396  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

As  they  carried  him  he  had  frequently  to  request  them  to  stop, 
as  he  could  not  long  endure  the  motion.  Weaker  and  weaker 
thus  he  grew,  and  it  was  much  feared  he  would  not  live  to  reach 
the  next  village,  called  Chitambo,  after  its  chief.  The  servants 
tried  every  way  to  cheer  him,  and  their  great  carefulness,  no 
doubt,  prolonged  his  life  the  few  hours  needed  to  reach  the 
village.  Here  a  comfortable  bed  was  made  for  him,  beside  which 
the  necessary  medicines  were  placed.  During  the  night  of  April 
30th  he  passed  peacefully  away,  while  on  his  knees  engaged  in 
prayer.  The  particulars  of  this  most  melancholy  incident  are 
relat'ed  by  his  faithful  servants,  as  follows  :  About  11  P.M.  Liv- 
ingstone called  his  servant  Susi,  whose  hut  was  close  by,  and 
asked,  "Is  this  the  Luapula?"  Susi  told  him  they  were  in 
Chitambo's  village,  near  the  Molilamo,  when  he  was  silent  for  a 
while.  Again,  speaking  to  Susi,  in  Suaheli  this  time,  he  said  • 
"Sikungapi  kuenda  Luapula?"  (How  many  days  is  it  to  the 
Luapula?)  . 

"Na  zani  zikutatu,  Bwana,"  (I  think  it  is  three  days,  master,) 
replied  Susi. 

A  few  seconds  after,  as  if  in  great  pain,  he  half  sighed,  half 
said,  "Oh,  dear,  dear!"  and  then  dozed  off  again. 

About  an  hour  later  Susi  heard  Majwara  again  outside  the  door, 
"Bwana  wants  you,  Susi."  On  reaching  the  bed  the  doctor  told 
him  he  wished  him  to  boil  some  water,  and  for  this  purpose  he 
went  to  tr  3  tire  outside,  and  soon  returned  with  the  copper  kettle 
full.  Calling  him  close  he  asked  him  to  bring  his  medicine-chest, 
and  to  hold  the  candle  near  him,  for  the  man  noticed  he  could 
hardly  see.  With  great  difficulty  Dr.  Livingstone  selected  the 
calomel,  which  he  told  him  to  place  by  his  side  ;  then,  directing 
him  to  pour  a  little  water  into  a  cup,  and  to  put  another  empty 
one  by  it,  he  said,  in  a  low,  feeble  voice,  "All  right ;  you  can  go 
now."  These  were  the  last  words  he  was  ever  heard  to  speak. 

It  must  have  been  about  4  A.  M.  when  Susi  heard  Majwara's 
step  once  more.  "Come  to  Bwana,  I  am  afraid  ;  I  don't  know 
if  he  is  alive."  The  lad's  evident  alarm  made  Susi  run  to  arouse 
Chuma,  Chowpere,  Matthew,  and  Muanuasere,  and  the  six  meu 
went  immediately  to  the  hut. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  397 

Passing  inside,  they  looked  toward  the  bed.  Dr.  Livingstone 
was  not  lying  on  it,  but  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  prayer,  and 
they  instinctively  drew  backward  for  the  instant.  Pointing  to 
him,  Majwara  said,  "  When  I  lay  down  he  was  just  as  he  is  now, 
and  it  is  because  I  find  that  he  does  not  move  that  I  fear  he  is 
dead."  They  asked  the  lad  how  long  he  had  slept?  Majwara 
said  he  could  not  tell,  but  he  was  sure  that  it  was  some  consider- 
able time  :  the  men  drew  nearer. 

A  candle,  stuck  by  its  own  wax  to  the  top  of  the  box,  shed  a 
light  sufficient  for  them  to  see  his  form.  Dr.  Livingstone  was 
kneeling  by  the  side  of  his  bed,  his  body  stretched  forward,  his 
head  buried  in  his  hands  upon  the  pillow.  For  a  minute  they 
watched  him  :  he  did  riot  stir,  there  was  no  sign  of  breathing  ; 
then  one  of  them,  Matthew,  advanced  softly  to  him  and  placed 
his  hands  to  his  cheeks.  It  was  sufficient ;  life  had  been  extinct 
some  time,  and  the  body  was  almost  cold  :  Livingstone  was  dead. 

His  sad-hearted  servants  raised  him  tenderly  up  and  laid  him 
full  length  on  the  bed  ;  then,  carefully  covering  him,  they  went 
out  into  the  damp  night  air  to  consult  together.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  cocks  crew,  and  it  is  from  this  circumstance — coupled 
with  the  fact  that  Susi  spoke  to  him  some  time  shortly  before 
midnight — that  we  are  able  to  state  with  tolerable  certainty  that 
he  expired  early  on  the  1st  of  May. 

Livingstone  had  not  merely  turned  himself ;  he  had  risen  to 
pray  ;  he  still  rested  on  his  knees,  his  hands  were  clasped  under 
his  head  :  when  they  approached  him  he  seemed  to  live.  He  had 
not  fallen  to  right  or  left  when  he  rendered  up  his  spirit  to  God. 
Death  required  no  change  of  limb  or  position  ;  there  was  merely 
the  gentle  settling  forward  of  the  frame  unstrung  by  pain,  for 
the  Traveler's  perfect  rest  had  come. 

HONOR  TO  THE  NOBLE  DEAD. 

CALLING  the  whole  party  together,  Susi  and  Chuma  placed  the 
state  of  affairs  before  them,  and  asked  what  should  I>e  done. 
They  received  a  reply  from  those  whom  Mr.  Stanley  had  engaged 
for  Dr.  Livingstone,  which  was  hearty  and  unanimous.  "  You," 
said  they,  "  are  old  men.  in  traveling  aud  in.  hardship! ;  you  must 


398  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

act  as  our  chiefs,  and  we  will  promise  to  obey  whatever  you  order 
us  to  do."  From  this  moment  we  may  look  on  Susi  and  Chuma 
as  the  captains  of  the  caravan.  To  their  knowledge  of  the  country, 
of  the  tribes  through  which  they  were  to  pass,  but,  above  all,  to 
the  sense  of  discipline  and  cohesion  which  was  maintained  through- 
out, their  safe  return  to  Zanzibar  at  the  head  of  their  men,  must, 
under  God's  good  guidance,  be  mainly  attributed. 

It  was  thought  very  necessary  to  keep  Chief  Chitamboin  ignor- 
ance of  Livingstone's  death,  lest  he  might  levy  a  great  fine  for 
the  injury  done  his  district  by  an  Englishman  dying  within  it,  as 
nearly  every  other  African  chief  would  have  done.  But  despite 
their  secrecy,  Chitambo  soon  heard  the  sad  news,  when,  instead 
of  demanding  a  fine,  he  at  once  prepared  to  give  the  remains  the 
respectful  funeral  honors  which  are  due  to  the  greatest  chiefs  in 
Africa.  In  accordance  with  his  promise,  at  the  proper  time, 
Chitambo,  leading  his  people  and  accompanied  by  his  wives,  came 
to  the  hut  wherein  the  remains  lay.  He  was  clad  in  a  broad  red 
cloth,  which  covered  the  shoulders,  while  the  wrapping  of  native 
cotton  cloth,  worn  round  the  waist,  fell  as  low  as  his  ankles. 
All  carried  bows,  arrows  and  spears,  but  no  guns  were  seen. 
Two  drummers  joined  in  the  loud  wailing  lamentation,  which  so 
indelibly  impresses  itself  on  the  memories  of  people  who  have 
heard  it  in  the  East,  while  the  band  of  servants  fired  volley  after 
volley  in  the  air,  according  to  the  strict  rule  of  Portuguese  and 
Arabs  on  such  occasions. 

It  was  determined  to  carry  the  body  to  Zanzibar,  notwithstand- 
ing the  apparently  insurmountable  difficulties  of  embalming.  It 
was  placed  in  a  hut  which  was  surrounded  by  a  very  strong  stock- 
ade, open  at  the  top,  but  so  high  that  no  wild  animal  could  break 
in.  There  was  only  some  salt  and  brandy  with  which  to  com- 
plete the  embalming,  but  these  two  articles  one  of  the  servants, 
who  had  had  some  experience  at  Zanzibar,  thought  he  could  use 
with  success. 

It  was  not  until  May  4  that  the  process  of  embalming  was 
begun.  This  long  delay  did  not  serve  to  render  the  task  more 
difficult,  because  the  body  was  little  more  than  flesh  and  bones. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  399 

ENROUTE  FOR  ZANZIBAR. 

No  journal  was  kept  by  Susi  or  Chuma,  so  that  dates  are  no 
longer  obtainable,  but  it  was  sometime  about  the  middle  of  May 
that  the  party  started  with  the  body  for  Zanzibar.  As  they 
traveled  northward  many  of  them  began  to  succumb  to  fever, 
the  malaria  having  been  absorbed  into  their  systems  during  the 
marches  with  Livingstone.  Two  of  the  women  died,  and  after 
journeying  a  hundred  miles  the  entire  party  became  so  ill  that  a 
stop  of  a  month  was  necessary. 

Upon  reaching  the  Luapula  river,  which  they  found  to  be  four 
miles  wide  at  the  village  of  Chisalamalama,  one  of  the  donkeys 
was  seized  by  a  lion  after  breaking  down  an  enclosure  in  which  it 
was  confined.  The  donkey  was  killed  and  dragged  into  the 
jungle.  At  the  village  of  Chawende  they  had  a  hard  battle  with 
the  natives,  in  which  several  of  the  latter  were  killed  and  two  of 
the.  funeral  party  wounded,  but  they  did  not  abandon  their 
precious  burden. 

Untold  difficulties  continually  beset  the  party.  Even  when 
proceeding  beyond  Unyanyembe  the  natives,  hearing  the  news 
of  Livingstone's  death,  and  the  intention  of  conveying  the  body  to 
Zanzibar,  determined  to  prevent  its  passage  through  the  country. 
They  would  no  doubt  have  desecrated  the  remains  had  not  Susi 
and  Churna  taken  the  precaution  to  hide  them  in  some  bales  of 
calico,  and  then  made  up  an  effigy  which  they  sent  with  as  much 
publicity  as  possible  to  be  buried  at  Unyanyembe  as  Dr.  Living- 
stone. 

After  a  painful  journey  of  six  months  the  party  reached  the 
coast  town  of  Bagamoyo,  where  the  English  consul  at  Zanzibar 
met  them  and  received  the  body  of  Livingstone,  which  was  sent 
to  England  and  buried  with  appropriate  honors  in  Westminster 

Abbey. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  GREATNESS. 

WE  have  now  followed  Dr.  Livingstone  throughout  his  three 

O  CJ 

journeys  in  Africa,  not  with  perfect  satisfaction,  however, 
because  he  was  prevented  from  completing  his  purposes,  and  the 
record  of  his  travels  is  somewhat  like  an  incomplete  story; 


400  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

but  we  have  followed  him  far  enough  to  form  a  correct  judg- 
ment of  his  character.  This  great  man  traveled  over  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  thousand  miles  in  Africa,  and  was  the  first  to  cross 
through  the  continental  center ;  he  spent  nearly  thirty  years  of 
his  life  in  that  vast  wilderness,  learned  to  speak  the  native 
tongues  of  many  tribes  ;  and  with  all  his  experience  he  does  not 
mention  having  met  one  single  king,  nor  did  he  have  the  vanity 
to  say  that  even  a  chief  deigned  to  do  him  homage. 

Livingstone  had  a  fixed  purpose,  and  his  inflexible  motto  was, 
"  Prove  all  things."  There  was  not  the  very  least  vanity  in  his 
nature;  he  believed  that  Bangweolo  lake  was  the  Nile's  chief 
source,  and  that  the  Lualaba  river  was  the  connecting  stream 
between  Lake  Albert  and  Bangweolo.  He  had  every  reason  to 
believe  his  theory  to  be  correct,  both  from  his  own  observations 
and  the  information  he  received  from  natives  whom  he  consulted. 
But  he  would  not  retire  on  a  theory  ;  he  would  not  claim  a  dis- 
covery that  he  had  not  rightly  made  and  incontestably  proved. 
His  modesty  is  positively  wonderful,  and  can  only  be  equaled  by 
the  noble,  exalted,  pure  and  beautiful  Christianity  which  filled  his 
great  heart.  While  journeying  toward  Bangweolo  the  last  time, 
to  prove  his  theory  respecting  the  Lualaba  being  its  outlet  and 
the  Nile  source,  with  a  hand  almost  palsied  by  a  fatal  disease,  he 
wrote  :  "The  discovery  of  the  true  source  of  the  Nile  is  nothing 
to  me,  except  as  it  may  be  turned  to  the  advantage  of  Christian 
Missions." 

That  his  soul  was  without  dross  is  proved  not  alone  by  the 
civilizing  influence  he  exerted  through  Africa,  but  also  by  the 
attitude  in  which  he  died,  surrendering  up  his  precious  life  in  a 
blaze  of  Christian  glory.  All  honor  to  the  name  of  Dr.  David 
Livingstone,  the  greatest  of  all  African  explorers  !  Worthily  he 
sleeps  beside  kings,  though  his  desire  was  to  rest  at  Shupanga, 
in  the  silent  wilderness,  beside  the  lonely  grave  of  his  loved 
wife,  Mary. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  401 


STANLEY'S 

TRAVELS   IN   AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN    SEARCH    OF    LIVINGSTONE. 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  JR.,  proprietor  of  the  New  York 
Herald,  though  often  pronounced  eccentric,  is  none  the  less  a 
genius  in  making  a  great  newspaper  greater.  He  is  an  American 
in  all  that  constitutes  dash,  pluck,  energy  and  bold  conception, 
but  he  is  also  a  cosmopolitan,  having  a  home  everywhere,  so  that 
the  whole  world  is  familiar  to  him. 

For  nearly  two  years  the  civilized  world  believed  the  common 
report  that  Livingstone  was  dead ;  this  news  was  circulated  at 
Zanzibar  by  traders  coming  from  Central  Africa.  Baker,  who 
had  penetrated  as  far  as  the  Albert  Nyanza,  enquired  of  natives 
concerning  the  lost  white  man,  but  no  tidings  from  him  could  be 
gained,  so  that  he  too  believed  the  great  traveler  had  passed  the 
bourne  whence  none  return.  Bennett  alone  believed  that  Living- 
stone was  still  alive,  and  he  conceived  the  idea  of  proving  his  be- 
lief by  sending  a  man  into  Africa  to  find  him. 

HENRY  M.  STANLEY,  a  vigorous,  daring  and  most  capable  jour- 
nalist, whose  first  schooling  was  received  as  a  war  correspondent 
of  the  St.  Louis  Democrat,  had  attracted  the  notice  of  Bennett, 
who  gave  him  a  roving  commission  through  Europe  as  corres- 
pondent of  the  Herald.  Bennett  had  so  much  confidence  in 
Stanley,  that  he  telegraphed  him  at  Madrid,  on  the  16th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1869,  as  follows  ;  "  Come  to  Paris  on  important  business.  " 


402  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Responding  to  the  order,  Stanley  reached  Paris  on  the  night  of 
October  18th,  and  going  at  once  to  Mr.  Bennett's  room  in  the 
Grand  Hotel,  he  found  him  already  retired.  An  interview  took 
place,  however,  at  which  Mr.  Bennett  explained  to  Stanley  his 
purpose  of  sending  an  expedition  into  Africa  in  search  of  Living- 
stone, and  that  he  (Stanley)  had  been  selected  to  command  it. 
Stanley  was  dumbfounded,  and  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  his 
feelings  ;  he  confessed  his  belief  in  the  popular  opinion  that  Liv- 
ingstone was  dead,  and  besides,  he  urged,  the  expense  of  such  an 
expedition  would  be  enormous. 

"  What  will  it  cost?"  Bennett  abruptly  asked. 

"  Burton  and  Speke's  journey  to  Central  Africa  cost  between 
$15,000  and  $25,000,  and  I  fear  it  cannot  be  done  under  $12,000," 
leplied  Stanley. 

Bennett's  order,  after  hearing  this  estimate  of  the  cost,  shows 
the  character  of  the  man.  Said  he  : 

"Well,  I  will  tell  you  what  you  will  do.  Draw  a  thousand 
pounds  now ;  and  when  you  have  gone  through  that,  draw 
another  thousand,  and  when  that  is  spent,  draw  another  thousand, 
and  when  you  have  finished  that,  draw  another  thousand,  and 
so  on  ;  but,  FIND  LIVINGSTONE." 

Mr.  Bennett  then  gave  Stanley  several  commissions  in  the  East, 
such  as  reporting  the  ceremonies  attending  the  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal,  a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  Constantinople,  the  Crimea 
battle-grounds,  Persia,  India,  Bagdad,  etc. 

After  giving  these  instructions,  apparently  laying  out  work 
enough  to  last  a  man  a  lifetime,  Bennett  went  to  bed  and  left 
Stanley  to  work  out  his  own  salvation,  which  he  proved  himself 
abundantly  able  to  do. 

He  completed  the  first  part  of  his  commission  in  a  little  less 
than  a  year,  arriving  in  Bombay,  ready  to  start  on  his  search  for 
Livingstone,  in  August,  1870.  Two  months  later,  having  pur- 
chased his  supplies,  he  set  sail  for  Zanzibar,  on  the  barque 
"Polly,"  and  reached  his  destination  after  a  voyage  of  thirty- 
seven  days. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  403 

ORGANIZING  TOR  THE  JOURNEY. 

STANLEY  was  well  received  by  the  American  consul  at  Zanzibar, 
who  gave  him  a  room  in  his  own  house  and  seemed  to  take  delight 
in  ministering  to  his  needs.  He  had  engaged  one  man,  Wm.  L. 
Farquhar,  on  the  barque  Polly,  to  accompany  him  into  Africa, 
but,  with  this  single  exception,  he  had  to  enlist  his  force  at 
Zanzibar.  John  Shaw,  an  Englishman,  was  found  adrift  in  this 
Arabian  port,  and,  upon  his  application,  was  enlisted  at  a  salary  of 
$300  per  annum.  It  was  desirable,  however,  to  secure  and  equip 
an  escort  of  twenty  free  blacks  for  the  road.  There  were  scores 
of  such  fellows  offering,  but  they  were  very  unreliable,  and  it 
was  with  no  little  pleasure  that  Stanley  heard  of  several  of 
Speke's  "faithfuls''  who  would  be  glad  to  go  upon  another 
expedition.  Five  of  these  men  were  soon  found  and  engaged  at 
$40  each  per  annum,  and  a  few  days  later  Bombay,  who  was 
Speke's  head  man,  came  to  Zanzibar,  and  he,  too,  was  enlisted 
and  made  captain  of  the  black  escort.  Bombay  succeeded  in 
getting  eighteen  more  free  men  to  volunteer  as  "askari"  (sol- 
diers), men  whom  he  knew  would  not  desert  and  for  whom  he 
declared  himself  responsible.  Their  wages  were  set  down  at  $36 
each  per  annum.  Each  soldier  was  provided  with  a  flint-lock 
musket,  powder-horn,  bullet-pouch,  knife,  and  hatchet,  besides 
enough  powder  and  ball  for  two  hundred  rounds.  Bombay,  in 
consideration  of  his  rank  and  previous  faithful  services  to  Burton, 
Speke  and  Grant,  was  engaged  at  $80  a  year,  half  that  sum  in 
advance,  and  a  good  muzzle-loading  rifle,  a  pistol,  a  knife,  and 
a  hatchet  were  given  him. 

Two  boats  were  purchased  from  the  American  consul,  for 
$120,  one  of  which  would  carry  twelve  men  and  the  other  half 
as  many.  These  boats  were  stripped  of  their  boards  and  tarred 
canvas  substituted,  as  a  much  lighter  material  and  less  liable  to 
leakage  or  rupture.  These  boats  were  intended  for  crossing 
streams  and  navigating  rivers  and  lakes.  Twenty  donkeys  were 
purchased,  and  a  cart  was  constructed,  eighteen  inches  wide  and 
five  feet  long,  to  carry  the  narrow  .ammunition  boxes  along  the 
goat  paths. 


404  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

When  his  purchases  were  all  completed  Stanley  found  materials 
aggregating  a  weight  of  six  tons,  nearly  all  of  which  had  to  be 
carried  to  the  center  of  Africa  on  the  shoulders  of  men  ;  and  for 
this  purpose  one  hundred  and  sixty  carriers  had  to  be  engaged  at 
Bagamoyo,  situated  on  the  mainland,  across  from  the  island  of 
Zanzibar. 

Twenty-eight  days  after  his  arrival  in  Zanzibar  Stanley  was 
ready  to  start  upon  his  search  for  Livingstone,  but  before  depart- 
ing the  Sultan  gave  him  an  audience,  at  which  royal  letters  were 
prepared  by  his  Highness  commending  Stanley  to  the  gracious 
favor  of  all  Arabs  whom  he  might  meet.  The  Sultan  also  gave 
him  a  beautiful  horse,  and  an  American  merchant  at  Zanzibar 
added  another,  a  fine,  blooded  animal,  worth  $500.  But  when 
everything  was  ready,  and  the  dhow  that  was  to  ferry  the  expe- 
dition to  Bagamoyo  was  on  the  point  of  leaving,  it  was  discovered 
that  Farquhar  and  Shaw  were  missing ;  a  long  search  finally 
revealed  them  in  a  beastly  state  of  intoxication  at  one  of  the 
groggeries  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  town  ;  they  had  to  be  led 
down  to  the  boat. 

EN    ROUTE    FOR    THE    INTERIOR. 

THE  expedition  reached  Bagamoyo  on  February  6,  1871,  but 
here  most  provoking  delays  occurred  by  reason  of  the  numerous 
false  promises  made  by  native  agents  whom  Stanley  employed  to 
engage  carriers  for  him.  He  did  not  start  the  first  caravan  until 
February  18th,  and  the  fifth,  or  last,  did  not  get  away  until 
March  21st.  The  total  number,  inclusive,  of  all  souls  connected 
with  the  expedition  was  192.  These,  when  together,  presented 
an  imposing  appearance,  headed  by  the  American  flag,  which,  for 
the  first  time,  was  carried  into  the  wilds  of  Africa.  The  expedi- 
tion was  now  on  the  road  to  Ujiji,  by  way  of  Unyamyembe. 

The  first  trouble  encountered  was  at  the  turbid  Kingani  river. 
The  jungle  along  its  right  bank  was  threaded  some  distance,  when 
a  narrow  sluice  of  black  mud,  not  more  than  eight  feet  broad, 
crossed  the  path,  and  to  get  the  animals  over  this  it  was  neces- 
sary to  construct  a  bridge  by  felling  trees  and  covering  them  with 
grass.  Further  on  the.  river  had  to  be  crossed,  which  was  effected 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEKS. 


405 


after  much  patient  labor,  in  one  frail  canoe,  hollowed  out  of  an 
immense  tree. 

After  seeing  the  work  of  ferrying  the  expedition  properly  com- 
menced, Stanley  sat  down  on  a  condemned  canoe  to  amuse  him- 
self with  the  hippopotami  by  peppering  their  thick  skulls  with 
his  No.  12  smooth-bore.  The  Winchester  rifle  (calibre  44)  did 
no  more  than  slightly  tap  them,  causing  about  as  much  injury  as 
a  boy's  sling ;  it  was  perfect  iu  its  accuracy  of  fire,  for  ten  times 


WASTING  CARTRIDGES  ON  THE  HIPPOPOTAMI. 

in  succession  he  struck  the  tops  of  their  heads  between  the  ears. 
One  old  fellow,  with  the  look  of  a  sage,  was  tapped  close  to  the 
right  ear  by  one  of  these  bullets.  Instead  of  submerging  him- 
self, as  others  had  done,  he  coolly  turned  round  his  head  as  if  to 
ask,  "Why  this  waste  of  valuable  cartridges  on  us?"  The 
response  to  the  mute  inquiry  of  his  sageship  was  an  ounce-and-a 
quarter  bullet  from  the  smooth-bore,  which  made  him  bellow 
with  pain,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  rose  again  tumbling  in 
his  death  agonies.  As  his  groans  were  so  piteous,  Stanley 


406  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

refrained  from  a  useless  sacrifice  of  life,  and  left  tbe  amphibious 
horde  in  peace. 

The  route  he  had  chosen  to  reach  Ugogo  was  a  new  one,  never 
before  traveled  by  a  white  man.  This  new  route  was  thickly 
populated,  which  proved  to  be  of  no  small  advantage,  for  it  enabled 
him  to  buy  meat  and  save  his  herd  of  goats,  which  would  be 
needed  for  food  when  the  interior  should  be  reached.  The  natives 
were  in  their  fields,  at  heedless  labor,  men  and  women  in  the 
scantiest  costumes,  compared  to  which  Adam  and  Eve,  in  their 
fig-leaf  apparel,  would  have  been  en  grande  tenue.  Nor  were 
they  at  all  abashed  by  the  devouring  gaze  of  men  who  were 
strangers  to  clotheless  living  bodies  ;  they  did  not  seem  to  com- 
prehend why  inordinate  curiosity  should  be  returned  with  more 
than  interest.  They  left  their  work  as  the  Wasungu  (  white  men ) 
drew  nigh :  such  hybrids  in  solar  topees,  white  flannels,  and 
horse-boots  were  they !  Had  the  Wasungu  been  desirous  of 
studying  the  outlines  of  anatomy  and  physiology  what  a  rich 
field  was  here!  They  laughed  and  giggled,  and  pointed  their 
index  fingure  at  this  and  that,  which  to  them  seemed  so  strange 
and  bizarre. 

After  crossing  the  Kingani  they  soon  came  to  a  village  called 
Rosako,  where  they  camped,  and  Stanley  was  much  annoyed  by 
the  obtrusive  curiosity  of  the  natives.  He  says  :  "  Among  other 
experiments  which  I  was  about  to  try  in  Africa,  was  that  of  a 
good  watch-dog  on  any  unmannerly  people  who  would  insist  upon 
coming  into  my  tent  at  untimely  hours  and  endangering  valuables. 
Especially  did  I  wish  to  try  the  effect  of  its  bark  on  the  mighty 
Ugogo,  who,  I  was  told  by  certain  Arabs,  would  lift  the  door  of 
the  tent  and  enter  whether  you  wished  them  or  not ;  who  would 
chuckle  at  the  fear  they  inspired,  and  say  to  you,  '  Hi,  hi,  white 
man,  I  never  saw  the  like  of  you  before  ;  are  there  many  more 
like  you?  where  do  you  come  from?'  Also  would  they  take  hold 
of  your  watch  and  ask  you  with  a  cheerful  curiosity,  '  What  is 
this  for,  white  man? '  to  which  you,  of  course,  would  reply  that  it 
was  to  tell  you  the  hour  and  minute.  But  the  Ugogo,  proud  of 
his  prowess,  and  more  unmannerly  than  a  brute,  would  answer 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


407 


you  vrith  a  snort  of  insult,  saying,  «  Oh,  you  fool ! '  or,  '  You  be 
damned  for  a  liar  ! '  I  thought  of  a  watch-dog,  and  procured  a 
good  one  at  Bombay,  not  only  as  a  faithful  companion,  but  to 
threaten  the  heels  of  just  such  gentry." 

The  dog  proved  to  be  a  great  wonder  to  fhe  prying  natives, 
ind  kept  them  at  a  respectful  distance. 

The  fine  horse  presented  to  Stanley  by  the  Sultan  was  taken 
suddenly  sick,  April  1st,  and  after  a  few  hours  of  suffering  died, 


WOMEN  WORKING  IN  THE  FIELDS. 


A  victim  of  the  tsetse  fly.  Fifteen  hours  after  the  death  of  his 
Arabian  horse,  the  other  became  violently  sick,  and  died  of  con- 
vulsions the  following  morning. 

They  were  now  marching  through  thick  jungle,  the  road  being 
merely  a  goat-path,  so  narrow  that  a  single  man  could  hardly 
push  his  way  through.  This  necessitated  frequent  halts  to  rear- 
range the  loads  of  the  donkeys,  which  were  torn  by  the  "  wait- 
a-bit"  thorns.  Ten  of  the  best  men  were  stricken  with  fever, 
and  the  rest  were  almost  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  greatly  dis- 


408  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

courugecL  Their  progress  was  very  slow,  only  four  or  five  miles 
a  day  Shaw  was  in  charge  of  the  little  cart,  far  in  the  rear, 
and  he  enlivened  the  march  with  a  constant  flow  of  the  express- 
ively wicked  adjectives  for  which  sailors  are  famous. 

On  the  18th  of  April  they  met  a  chained  slave  gang,  bound 
east  The  slaves  did  not  appear  to  be  in  the  least  down-hearted  : 
on  the  contrary,  they  seemed  imbued  with  the  philosophic  jollity 
of  the  jolly  servant  of  Martin  Chuzzlewit.  Were  it  not  for 
their  chains  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  discover  master  from 
slave :  the  physiognomic  traits  were  alike — the  mild  benignity 
with  which  they  regarded  Stanley's  party  was  equally  visible  on 
all  faces.  The  chains  were  ponderous,  thoy  might  have  held 
elephants  captive  ;  but  as  the  slaves  carried  nothing  but  them- 
selves, their  weight  could  not  have  been  insupportable. 

THE    BELLES    OF    KISEMO. 

THE  expedition  encamped  one  evening  at  a  prettily-situated 
village,  named  Kisemo.  The  district  was  extremely  populous, 
there  being  five  villages  in  a  circuit  of  as  many  miles,  each  forti- 
fied by  stakes  and  thorny  abattis. 

The  belles  of  Kisemo  are  famed  for  their  extraordinary  natural 
development,  and  their  vanity  finds  expression  in  brass  wire, 
which  adorns  their  waists  and  ankles,  while  their  less  attractive 
brothers  are  content  with  such  adornments  as  dingy  cloths  and 
split  ears.  A  more  comical  picture  is  seldom  presented  than 
one  of  these  hia;hlv-dressed  females  with  the  mas-nificent  devel- 

<_J        ••  O 

opments  already  noted,  engaged  in  the  homely  and  necessary 
task  of  grinding  corn  for  herself  and  family.  The  grinding 
apparatus  consists  of  two  portions:  one,  a  thick  pole  of  hard 
wood,  about  six  feet  long,  answering, for  a  pestle  ;  the  other,  a 
capacious  wooden  mortar,  three  feet  in  height ;  and  the  swaying 
motion  of  the  woman  in  handling  this  pestle  forms  a  rare  and 
ludicrous  picture, 

TIDINGS   OF    LIVINGSTONE. 

THE  fourth  caravan,  which  had  been  making  up  for  lost  time 
by  traveling  ahead  for  several  days,  was  come  up  with  at  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


409 


village  of  Muhalleh  ;  several  of  the  men  had  fallen  sick,  so  that 
the  caravan  went  into  camp  to  await  Stanley  and  the  medi- 
cine chest.  During  a  two  day's  encampment  at  this  village 


Stanley  met  an  Arab  trader,  bound  eastward,  with  a  large  caravan 
carrying  three  hundred  elephant  tusks.  ThL>  good  Arab,  besides 
welcoming  the  new-comer  with  a  present  of  rice,  gave  him  news 
He  had  met  the  old  traveler  at  Ujiji,  had  lived 


of  Livingstone. 


410  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

in  the  next  hut  to  him  for  two  weeks,  described  him  as  looking 
old,  with  long  grey  moustache  and  beard,  just  recovered  from 
severe  illness,  looking  very  wan  ;  when  fully  recovered,  Living- 
stone intended  to  visit  a  country  called  Manyuema,  by  way  of 
Marungu. 

A    WONDERFUL    AFRICAN    CITY. 

THE  march  now  followed  the  valley  of  the  Ungerengeri  until 
the  walled  city  of  Simbamwenni  was  reached.  This  is  one  of 
the  wonderful  cities  of  Africa.  The  town  contains  about  one 
thousand  houses,  and  a  population  of  perhaps  5,000.  The  houses 
are  eminently  African,  but  are  strongly  constructed.  The  forti- 
fications are  after  an  Arabic-Persian  model — combining  Arab  neat- 
ness with  Persian  architecture.  They  are  stone,  pierced  with 
two  rows  of  loop-holes  for  musketry.  The  area  of  the  town  is 
about  half  a  square  mile,  its  plan  being  quadrangular.  Well- 
built  towers  of  stone  guard  each  corner ;  four  gates,  one  facing 
each  cardinal  point,  and  set  half-way  between  the  several  towers, 
permit  ingress  and  egress  for  its  inhabitants.  The  gates  are 
closed  with  solid  square  doors,  made  of  African  teak,  and  carved 
with  the  infinites! mally  fine  and  complicated  devices  of  the 
Arabs,  from  which  it  is  supposed  that  the  doors  were  made  either 
at  Zanzibar  or  on  the  coast,  and  conveyed  to  Simbamwenni  plank 
by  plank ;  yet  as  there  is  much  communication  between  Baga- 
moyo  and  Simbamwenni,  it  is  just  possible  that  native  artisans 
are  the  authors  of  this  ornate  workmanship,  as  several  doors, 
chiseled  and  carved  in  the  same  manner,  though  not  quite  so 
elaborately,  are  visible  in  the  largest  houses. 

The  Sultana,  or  ruler  of  this  African  city,  is  the  eldest  daughter 
of  the  famous  Kisabengo,  who  VV.MS  another  Theodore  on  a  small 
scale.  Sprung  from  humble  ancestry,  he  acquired  distinction  for 
his  personal  strength,  his  powers  of  harangue,  and  his  amusing 
and  versatile  address,  by  which  he  gained  great  ascendency  over 
fugitive  slaves,  and  was  chosen  a  leader  among  them.  Fleeing 
from  justice  which  awaited  him  at  the  hands  of  the  Zanzibar 
Sultan,  he  arrived  in  Ukami,  and  here  he  commenced  a  career  of 
conquest,  the  result  of  which  was  the  acquisition  of  an  immense 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  411 

tract  of  fertile  country.  On  its  most  desirable  site,  with  the 
river  flowing  close  under  the  wall,  he  built  his  capital,  and  called 
it  Simbamwenni,  which  means  "The  Lion,"  or  the  strongest 
city.  In  old  age  the  successful  robber  and  kidnapper  changed 
his  name  of  Kisabengo,  which  had  gained  such  a  notoriety,  to 
Simbamwenni,  after  his  town;  and  when  dying,  after  desiring 
that  his  eldest  daughter  should  succeed  him,  he  bestowed  the 
name  of  the  town  upon  her  also. 

Stanley,  after  praising  the  country  for  its  great  beauty  and 
marvelous  fertility,  says:  "A  railroad  from  Bagamoyo  to  Sim- 
bamwenni might  be  constructed  with  as  much  ease  and  rapidity 
as,  and  at  far  less  cost  than,  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  whose 
rapid  strides  day  by  day  toward  completion  the  world  heard  oi 
and  admired.  A  residence  in  this  part  of  Africa,  after  a  thorough 
system  of  drainage  had  been  carried  out,  would  not  be  attended 
with  any  rncra  discomfort  than  generally  follows  upon  the  occu- 
pation of  new  land.  The  temperature  at  this  sea?on  during  the 
day  never  exceeded  85°  Fahrenheit.  The  nights  were  pleasant — 
too  cold  without  a  pair  of  blankets  for  covering. 
THE  SULTANA'S  REVENGE. 

WHILE  passing  Simbamwenni,  Stanley  was  accosted  by  some 
soldiers  sent  out  by  the  Sultana  to  collect  a  tribute  for  the  privi- 
lege of  a  passage.  He  refused  to  pay  anything,  and  sent  back 
word  that  he  recognized  no  right  by  which  such  a  demand  should 
be  made.  He  heard  nothing  further  at  that  time  from  the  bold 
princess. 

Five  miles  further  on,  a  cook  belonging  to  the  expedition  was 
arrested  for  stealing.  This  being  his  fourth  offense,  Stanley 
ordered  him  to  be  flogged  with  a  cowhide  over  his  jacket,  a  pun- 
ishment which  was  hardly  as  severe  as  the  thief  deserved  ;  and 
in  order  to  frighten  him,  Stanley  told  him  that  he  must  leave  the 
camp  and  get  back  to  Zanzibar  the  best  way  he  could.  The  man, 
thinking  the  order  was  given  in  earnest,  bolted  off  and  disap- 
peared in  the  jungle.  Stanley  knew  that  the  man  must  perish  if 
he  really  attempted  to  travel  to  Zanzibar,  and  supposing  he  would 


412  THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

come  back,  left  a  donkey  tied  to  a  tree,  upon  which  he  might 
ride  and  overtake  the  caravan. 

Directly  after  this  incident  Bombay  came  riding  up  to  Stanley 
and  reported  the  loss  of  a  gun,  a  pistol,  an  American  axe,  a  bale 
of  cloth,  and  some  beads  ;  he  explained  that  he  had  laid  the 
articles  down  while  going  to  a  stream  for  water,  and  upon  return- 
ing found  them  gone,  stolen,  he  declared,  by  the  subjects  of  the 
Sultana. 

The  caravan  was  now  obliged  to  stop,  while  Stanley  sent  back 
three  soldiers  to  recover  the  articles,  if  possible,  and  also  to  find 
the  culprit,  who  had  run  off.  After  a  search  of  two  days  the 
soldiers  found  the  donkey  and  missing  articles  in  possession  of 
two  natives,  whom  he  took  to  the  Sultana,  where  they  were 
charged  with  murdering  the  missing  man.  This  they  strongly 
denied,  but  the  Sultana  believed  them  guilty  and  threw  them  into 
prison  to  await  the  next  caravan  going  to  Zanzibar,  whither  she 
would  send  them  for  sentence.  The  Sultana  next  ordered  the 
three  soldiers  seized  and  placed  in  chains,  and  also  confiscated 
their  property,  and  declared  she  would  detain  them  until  their 
master  should  return  and  pay  her  the  tribute  she  had  demanded. 
The  unfortunate  soldiers  were  kept  in  chains  in  the  market-place, 
exposed  to  the  taunts  of  the  servile  multitude  for  sixteen  hours, 
when  they  were  discovered  by  a  Sheik  who  had  passed  Stanley 
five  days  before.  This  man  recognized  the  soldiers  as  members 
of  the  expedition,  and  sought  an  audience  with  them.  After 
hearing  their  story,  the  good-hearted  Sheik  sought  the  presence 
of  the  Sultana,  and  informed  her  that  she  was  doing  very  wrong 
— a  wrong  that  could  only  terminate  in  blood.  "TheMusungu 
is  strong,"  he  said,  "  very  strong  ;  he  has  got  two  guns  which 
shoot  forty  times  without  stopping,  carrying  bullets  half  an  hour's 
distance  ;  he  has  got  several  guns  which  carry  bullets  that  burst 
and  tear  a  man  in  pieces.  He  could  go  to  the  top  of  that  moun- 
tain and  could  kill  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  town 
before  one  of  your  soldiers  could  reach  the  top,  The  road  will 
then  be  stopped  ;  Syed  Burghash  will  march  against  your  country  ; 
the  Wadoe  and  Wakami  will  come  and  take  revenge  on  what  is 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  413 

left,  and  the  place  that  your  father  made  so  strong  will  know  the 
\Vaseguhha  no  more.  Set  free  the  Musungu's  soldiers  ;  give 
them  their  food,  and  grain  for  the  Musungu  ;  return  the  guns  to 
the  men  and  let  them  go  ;  for  the  white  man  may  even  now  be 
on  his  way  here." 

These  exaggerated  reports  of  Stanley's  power  produced  a  good 
effect,  for  the  soldiers  were  released,  their  arms  and  the  donkeys 
restored,  and  sufficient  food  was  furnished  to  last  them  for  four 
days,  until  they  could  overtake  the  caravan.  Stanley  was  very 
much  exercised  over  the  outrage  which  he  felt  had  been  commit- 
ted on  his  men,  but  he  was  now  so  far  advanced  that  he  could 
not  afford  to  turn  back  and  obtain  satisfaction.  But  the  run- 
away cook  was  not  found. 

MARCHING   THROUGH    SWAMPS. 

THE  expedition  started  again,  after  a  delay  of  four  days,  for 
Ugogo,  in  the  midst  of  a  pelting  rain  storm,  which  flooded  the 
country  and  rendered  traveling  excessively  difficult.  They  soon 
struck  a  swamp  from  which  the  malarial  evaporations  rose  up  so 
rank  that  Shaw  took  sick,  and  the  labor  of  driving  the  caravan  fell 
entirely  on  Stanley.  The  donkeys  stuck  in  the  mire  as  if  they 
were  rooted  to  it.  As  fast  as  one  was  flogged  from  his  stubborn 
position,  prone  to  the  depths  fell  another,  so  that  the  labor  of 
extricating  them  was  maddening  under  pelting  rain,  assisted  by 
such  men  as  Bombay  and  Uledi,  who  could  not  for  whole  skin's 
sake  stomach  the.  storm  and  mire.  Two  hours  of  such  a  task 
enabled  Stanley  to  drag  his  caravan  over  a  savannah  one  mile 
and  a  half  broad  ;  and  barely  had  he  finished  congratulating  him- 
self over  his  success  before  he  was  halted  by  a  deep  ditch,  which, 
filled  with  rain-water  from  the  inundated  savannahs,  had  become 
a  considerable  stream,  breast-deep,  flowing  swiftly  into  the 
Makata.  Donkeys  had  to  be  unloaded,  led  through  a  torrent, 
and  loaded  again  on  the  other  bank — an  operation  which  con- 
sumed a  full  hour. 

INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS    AND    A   TIGHT. 

ON  the  following  day  another  part  of  the  swamp  was  reached, 
which  was  five  miles  across  and  from  one  to  four  feet  in  depth  ; 


414 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  415 

this  was  the  sorest  march  made  by  the  expedition,  and  so  serious 
were  its  effects  that  two  of  the  carriers  (and  the  dog)  died,  also 
twelve  of  the  donkeys,  and  Stanley  was  brought  to  the  brink  of 
the  grave  with  fever  and  acute  dysentery. 

On  May  4th  they  ascended  a  gentle  slope  to  a  village  named 
Reheuneko,  where  a  halt  of  four  days  was  made,  to  rest  and 
recover  from  the  effects  of  the  fever  with  which  all  were  suffer- 
ing. It  was  a  delightful  place,  most  fortuitously  reached,  for 
another  day  in  the  swamps  would  have,  no  doubt,  destroyed  the 
expedition . 

Farquhar,  who  had  charge  of  the  fourth  caravan,  had  preceded 
Stanley  about  two  days,  but  sent  back  word  that  all  but  one  of 
his  donkeys  had  died  and  his  provisions  were  almost  exhausted. 
Stanley  was  thus  compelled  to  push  on  to  Lake  Ugombo,  where 
he  met  Farquhar  and  found  a  most  deplorable  state  of  affairs. 
Farquhar  was  in  a  pitiable  condition,  barely  able  to  stagger  out  of 
his  tent.  His  legs  and  feet  were  swollen  to  frightful  proportions 
from  Elephantiasis.  But  much  of  this  trouble  had  been  brought 
on  by  his  dissipation.  Sluggish,  cross  and  feeble,  he  had 
expended  nearly  all  his  goods,  which  should  have  lasted  him  to 
Ujiji,  before  he  had  gone  over  one-third  the  distance. 

Shaw  had  also  been  remiss  in  all  his  duties,  and  was  a  sore 
drag  upon  the  expedition.  These  two  Englishmen,  who  should 
have  been  Stanley's  mainstay,  were  worse  than  the  native  carriers, 
and  as  their  worthlessness  increased  they  became  insolent. 
"While  camped  on  Ugombo  lake,  Shaw  insulted  Stanley  in  his 
own  tent,  when  the  latter,  feeling  that  this  was  the  crowning 
period  of  the  most  inexcusable  and  contemptible  insolence,  struck 
him  to  the  ground.  The  Englishman  then  demanded  his  dis- 
charge papers,  which  Stanley  gave  him,  with  great  pleasure. 
Shaw  packed  his  things  and  went  away,  declaring  he  would 
return  to  Zanzibar  by  the  next  Arab  caravan.  He  soon  changed 
his  mind,  however,  and  came  back  and  humbly  apologized  for 
his  unreasonable  conduct,  and  begged  to  be  taken  again  into 
service.  Stanley  reinstated  him  in  charge  of  the  third  caravan. 
That  night,  when  all  the  camp  was  still  in  slumber,  Shaw  stole 


416  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

out  of  his  tent  with  a  loaded  gun  and  tried  to  assassinate  his 
leader,  the  bullet  passing  through  the  pillow  on  which  Stanley's 
head  was  resting.  Of  course  the  entire  camp  was  speedily 
aroused,  and  Stanley  went  straight  to  Shaw's  tent,  having  been 
told  who  fired  the  shot.  Shaw  pretended  to  be  soundly  asleep, 
but  being  aroused  and  confronted  with  indisputable  evidence 
of  his  guilt — a  warm  gun  with  freshly  burnt  powder  in  the  bar- 
rel— he  declared  he  had  been  dreaming  of  a  thief,  whom  he  shot 
at.  Stanley  warned  him  not  to  indulge  in  such  dreams  again, 
intimating  that  it  would  be  very  unsafe  for  him  to  do  so. 

Farquhar  was  in  no  condition  to  travel,  so,  at  his  own  request, 
he  was  left  at  a  small  native  village  in  the  Ugogo  country,  in 
charge  of  a  kindly-mannered  old  man.  Six  month's  provisions,  a 
rifle,  with  300  cartridges,  and  an  interpreter  were  left  with  him. 

They  now  marched  on  to  Chungo,  where  they  joined  a  trading 
party  of  Arabs  going  west,  and  twelve  new  carriers  were  engaged, 
so  that  the  entire  force  was  increased  to  four  hundred  souls,  with 
flags,  horns,  drums,  guns,  etc.,  making  a  most  formidable  cara- 
van for  Central  Africa.  They  were  now  only  thirty  miles  from 
Ugogo. 

ENTERING    UGOGO. 

THE  entrance  into  Ugogo  was  the  very  counterpart  of  a  circus 
parade  ;  Stanley  rode  at  the  head,  and  as  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
village  its  swarming  inhabitants  rushed  out  to  meet  him,  shouting 
with  all  the  strength  of  their  lungs.  The  whole  village  was  soon 
before,  abreast  and  behind  his  heels,  lullalooing  and  shouting  in 
the  most  excited  manner;  for  Stanley  was  the  first  white  man 
they  had  ever  seen.  From  village  to  village,  which  are  in  imme- 
diate succession  and  called  Ugogo,  the  crowd  kept  gathering, 
until  a  furious  mob  of  naked  men,  women  and  children,  their 
bodies  ornately  tattooed,  pressed  upon  the  white  man.  "  Hither- 
to," says  Stanley,  "I  had  compared  myself  to  a  merchant 
of  Bagdad,  traveling  among  the  Kurds  of  Kurdistan,  selling 
his  wares  of  Damascus  silk,  kefiyehs,  etc.,  but  now  I  was 
compelled  to  lower  my  standard,  and  thought  myself  not 
bAtter  than  the  monkev  in  the  zoological  collection 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  417 

at  Central  Park,  whose  funny  antics  elicit  such  bursts  of  laughter 
from  young  New  Yorkers.  One  of  my  soldiers  requested  them 
to  lessen  their  vociferous  noise ;  but  the  evil-minded  race  ordered 
him  to  shut  up,  as  a  thing  unworthy  to  speak  to  the  Wago^o  ! 
When  I  imploringly  turned  to  the  Arabs  for  counsel  in  this  strait, 
old  Sheikh  Thani,  always  worldly-wise,  said,  "Heed  them  not; 
they  are  dogs  who  bite  besides  barking." 

A  camp  was  made,  and  negotiations  with  the  natives  soon 
began.  The  quantity  and  variety  of  provisions  produced  in  the 
country  was  positively  astonishing,  proving  Ugogo  to  be  one  of 
the  very  richest  districts  of  all  Africa.  The  natives  brought  and 
sold  milk,  both  sour  and  sweet,  honey,  beans,  Indian  corn,  a 
variety  of  peas,  peanuts,  bean  nuts,  pumpkins,  water  melons, 
musk  melons,  cucumbers,  and  many  other  kinds  of  vegetables. 
The  Great  Sultan  of  Mvumi,  or  ruler  of  Ugogo,  was  a  most 
extortionate  old  relic  of  Arabic  cupidity  and  autocracy,  and 
compelled  Stanley  to  pay  a  large  tribute  of  cloth  and  beads  for 
the  privilege  of  crossing  his  country. 

AN    ENCOUNTER    WITH    THE    NATIVES. 

As  the  expedition  continued  its  march  each  village  was  emptied 
of  its  inhabitants,  who  ran  along  staring  at  the  Musungu  (white 
man)  and  frequently  committing  insolent  acts,  until  Stanley's 
patience  with  them  became  quite  exhausted.  He  writes  :  "Hith- 
erto those  we  had  met  had  contented  themselves  with  staring  and 
shouting ;  but  these  outstepped  all  bounds,  and  my  growing 
anger  at  their  excessive  insolence  vented  itself  in  gripping  the 
rowdiest  of  them  by  the  neck,  and  before  he  could  recover  from 
his  astonishment  administering  a  sound  thrashing  with  my  dog- 
whip,  which  he  little  relished.  This  proceeding  educed  from 
the  tribe  of  starers  all  their  native  power  of  vituperation  and 
abuse,  in  expressing  which  they  were  peculiar.  Approaching  in 
manner  to  angry  tom-cate,  they  jerked  their  words  with  some- 
thing of  a  splitting  hiss  and  a  half  bark.  The  ejaculation,  as 
near  as  I  can  spell  it  phonetically,  was  'hahcht,'  uttered  in  a 
shrill  crescendo  tone.  They  paced  backward  and  f<>nvard 

asking  themselves,  « Are  the  Wagogo  to  be  beaten,  Ufce  t>J<ivto  \>y 

0  (  •  — —  • 


418  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

this  Musungu  !  A  Mgogo  is  a  Mgwana  (a  free  man)  ;  he  is  not 
used  to  be  beaten, — hahcht.'  But  whenever  I  made  a  motion, 
flourishing  my  whip  toward  them,  these  mighty  braggarts  found 
jt  convenient  to  move  to  respectful  distances  from  the  irritated 


Musungu.' 


A    HANDSOME    PEOPLE. 


A  MARCH  of  three  days  brought  the  expedition  to  the  Wahumba 
district,  which  is  small,  comprising  only  a  few  villages,  and  these 
not  numerously  inhabited  ;  but  the  people  are  none  the  less 
remarkable.  They  live  in  cone  huts  plastered  with  cow-dung, 
and  shaped  like  the  Tartar  tents  of  Turkestan.  The  men  are 
remarkably  well  formed  and  handsome,  having  clean  limbs  and 
the  most  exquisite  features.  Athletes  from  their  youth,  they 
intermarry  and  keep  the  race  pure.  The  women  are  as  handsome 
as  the  men,  and  have  a  clear  ebon  skin  of  an  inky  hue.  Their 
ornaments  consist  of  spiral  rings  of  brass,  pendant  from  the 
ears,  brass  ring  collars  about  their  necks,  and  a  spiral  cincture  of 
brass  around  the  loins,  used  as  an  ornament  and  also  to  keep  the 
goat-skins  folded  about  their  persons  in  place  ;  these  skins  depend 
from  the  shoulder  and  shade  one-half  the  bosom. 

A    CURIOUS    INCIDENT. 

THE  village  of  Mukondoku,  on  the  borders  of  Ugogo,  is  a  large 
place,  containing  perhaps  3,000  people.  They  flocked  to  see  the 
wonderful  man  whose  face  was  white,  who  wore  the  most  won- 
derful things  on  his  person,  and  possessed  the  most  wonderful 
weapons;  guns  which  "bum-bummed"  as  fast  as  you  could 
count  on  your  fingers.  They  farmed  such  a  mob  of  howling 
savages  that  Stanley  for  an  instant  thought  there  was  something 
besides  mere  curiosity  which  caused  such  commotion  and  attracted 
such  numbers  to  the  roadside.  Halting,  he  asked  what  was  the 
matter,  and  what  they  wanted,  and  why  they  made  such  a  noise? 
One  burly  rascal,  taking  his  words  for  a  declaration  of  hostilities, 
promptly  drew  his  bow,  but  in  an  instant  Stanley's  faithful  Win- 
chester, with  thirteen  shots  in  the  magazine,  was  ready  and  at  the 
shoulder,  but  he  waited  to  see  the  arrow  fly  before  pouring  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  419 

leaden  messengers  of  death  into  the  crowd.  They  vanished  as 
quickly  as  they  had  come,  leaving  the  burly  Thersites,  and  two  or 
three  irresolute  fellows  of  his  tribe,  standing  within  pistol  range. 
Such  a  sudden  dispersion  of  the  mob  which,  but  a  moment  before, 
was  overwhelming  in  numbers,  caused  Stanley  to  lower  his  rifle, 
and  to  indulge  in  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  disgraceful  fliglit  of  the 
men-destroyers.  The  Arabs,  who  were  as  much  alarmed  at  their 
boisterous  obtrusiveness,  now  came  up  to  patch  a  truce,  in  which 
they  succeeded  to  everybody's  satisfaction.  A  few  words  of 
explanation  and  the  mob  came  back  in  greater  numbers  than 
before  ;  and  the  savage  who  had  been  the  cause  of  the  momentary 
disturbance,  was  obliged  to  retire  abashed  before  the  pressure  of 
public  opinion.  A  chief  now  came  up,  whom  Stanley  afterward 
learned  was  the  second  man  to  Svvaruru,  the  Sultan,  and  lectured 
the  people  upon  their  treatment  of  the  "White  Stranger." 
"  Know  ye  not,  Wagogo,"  shouted  he,  "  that  this  Musungu  is  a 
sultan  (mtemi — a  most  high  title).  He  has  not  come  to  Ugogo 
like  the  Wakonongo  (Arabs),  to  trade  in  ivory,  but  to  see  us, 
and  give  presents.  Why  do  you  molest  him  and  his  people?  Let 
them  pass  in  peace.  If  you  wish  to  see  him,  draw  near,  but  do 
noUmock  him.  The  first  of  you  who  creates  a  disturbance,  let 
him  beware  ;  our  great  mtemi  shall  know  how  you  treat  his 
friends."  He  thereupon  seized  a  long  stick  and  laid  about  him 
so  vigorously  that  the  crowd  was  driven  into  the  huts  and  did  not 
offer  any  further  annoyances. 

ARRIVAL    AT   UNYANYEMBE. 

THE  march,  after  the  foregoing  incident,  was  uninterrupted, 
until  the  caravan  reached  Unyanyembe,  which  is  situated  in  an 
undulating  plain,  surrounded  by  most  picturesque  scenery,  and 
lies  nearly  five  hundred  miles,  by  the  route,  or  three  hundred  as 
the  crow  flies,  from  Zanzibar.  As  will  be  remembered,  the  last 
caravan  left  Bagamoyo  March  21,  1871  ;  they  arrived  in  Unyan- 
yembe on  the  22d  of  June,  having  been  three  months  on  the 
way.  Considering  the  character  of  the  country  traversed  and 
obstacles  met  with,  this  average  of  five  miles  per  day  was  an 
uncommonly  good  one. 


420  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ETHNOGRAPHICAL    FEATURES. 

MR.  STANLEY  has  injected  into  the  record  of  his  inarch  to 
Ujiji,  in  a  separate  chapter  following  his  arrival  in  Unyanyembe; 
much  that  is  interesting,  having  immediate  application  to  the 
ethnographical  features  of  the  country  through  which  he  had 
passed.  Some  of  this,  the  more  important,  is  here  reproduced 
in  a  summary  that  cannot  but  prove  valuable  to  every  reader. 

The  tribes  living  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the  coast  do  not 
show  any  strongly-marked  distinguishing  features  by  which  to 
classify  them  :  only  the  most  critical  observer  will  note  the  tribal 
connections  :  punctures  of  the  ear,  very  little  difference  in  garb, 
and  tattoo  marks.  But  as  we  approach  nearer  to  the  interior, 
there  is  a  very  noticeable  distinction,  extending  to  habits  of  life, 
dress,  disposition,  and  physical  contour.  Some  of  the  people 
are  frank  and  friendly,  notably  the  Wasagara,  who  are  peculiarly 
susceptible  to  missionary  teachings.  Their  country  is  literally  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  and  a  more  trustworthy  and 
kind  people  never  lived.  They  are  an  exception.  They  are  first 
met  with  at  the  village  Mpwapwa.  Here  the  long  slender  ring- 
lets, ornamented  with  brass  and  copper  pendicles,  balls,  with 
bright  pice  from  Zanzibar,  with  a  thin  line  of  miniature  beads 
running  here  and  there  among  the  ringlets,  are  first  seen.  A 
youthful  Wasagara,  with  a  faint  tinge  of  ochre  embrowning  the 
dull  black  hue  of  his  face,  with  four  or  five  bright  copper  coins 
ranged  over  his  forehead,  with  a  tiny  gourd's  neck  in  each  ear, 
distending  his  ear-lobes,  with  a  thousand  ringlets  well  greased 
and  ornamented  with  tiny  bits  of  brass  and  copper,  with  a  head 
well  thrown  back,  broad  breast  thrown  well  forward,  muscular 
arms,  and  full-proportioned  limbs,  represents  the  beau-ideal  of  a 
handsome  young  African  savage. 

The  Wasagara,  male  and  female,  tattoo  the  forehead,  bosom 
and  .arms.  Besides  inserting  the  neck  of  a  gourd  in  each  ear — 
which  carries  bis  little  store  of  **  tumb?«5?''  pr 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  421 

which  he  has  obtained  by  burning  land  shells — he  carries  quite  a 
number  of  most  primitive  ornaments  around  his  neck,  such  as 
two  or  three  snowy  cowrie-shells,  carved  pieces  of  wood,  or  a 
small  goat's  horn,  or  some  medicine  consecrated  by  the  medicine- 
man of  the  tribe,  a  fundo  of  white  or  red  beads,  or  two  or  three 
pierced  Sungomazzi  egg-beads,  or  a  string  of  copper  coin,  and 
sometimes  small  brass  chains,  like  Cheap-Jack  watch-chains. 

The  Waseguhla  are  neighbors  of  the  Wasagara,  but  they  are 
one  of  the  most  treacherous  and  ferocious  tribes  of  Africa,  find- 
ing congenial  occupation  only  in  fighting  and  enslaving  the 
neighboring  tribes  who  are  too  weak  to  resist  them. 

THE    WONDERFUL,    \VAGOGO    TRIBE. 

THE  Wagogo  are  the  most  extortionate  tribe  in  Africa  ;  being 
numerous  and  good  fighters  they  show  their  strength  by  levying 
the  heaviest  burdens  on  all  who  enter  their  country.  They  are, 
physically  and  intellectually,  the  best  of  the  races  between 
Unyamwezi  and  the  sea.  Their  color  is  a  rich  dark  brown .  There 
is  something  in  their  frontal  aspect  which  is  almost  leonine. 
Their  faces  are  broad  and  intelligent.  Their  eyes  are  large  and 
round.  Their  noses  are  flat,  and  their  mouths  are  very  large. 
For  all  this,  though  the  Wagogo  is  a  ferocious  man,  capable  of 
proceeding  to  any  length  upon  the  slightest  provocation,  he  is  an 
attractive  figure  to  the  white  traveler. 

The  Wagogo,  or  Mgogo,  as  he  is  more  frequently  called,  makes 
a  splendid  soldier,  for  he  is  brave  and  cunning.  Their  weapons 
are  a  bow  and  sheaf  of  murderous-looking  arrows,  pointed, 
pronged  and  barbed  ;  a  couple  of  light,  beautifully-made  asse- 
gais, a  broad,  sword-like  spear,  with  a  blade  over  two  feet  long, 
a  battle-axe,  and  a  rungu,  or  knob-club.  He  has  also  a  shield, 
painted  with  designs  in  black  and  white,  oval-shaped,  sometimes 
of  rhinoceros,  or  elephant,  or  bull-hide.  From  the  time  he  was 
a  toddling  urchin  he  has  been  familiar  with  his  weapons,  and  by 
the  time  he  was  fifteen  years  old  he  was  an  adept  with  them.  He 
is  armed  for  battle  in  a  very  short  time.  The  messenger  from 
the  chief  darts  from  village  to  village  and  blows  his  ox-horn,  the 
signal  for  war.  The  warrior  hears  it,  throws  his  hoe  over  his 


422 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


shoulder,   enters  his  house,  and  in  a  few  seconds  issues  forth 
again,  arrayed  in  war  paint  and  full  fighting  costume.     Feathers 


of  the  ostrich,  or  the  eagle,  or  the  vulture,  nod  above  his  head  ; 
his  long  crimson  robe  streams  behind  him,  his  shield  is  on  his 
\eft  arm,  his  darting  assegai  in  his  left  hand,  and  his  ponderot>* 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  423 

man-cleaver — double-edged  and  pointed,  heading  a  strong  staff- 
is  in  his  right  hand  ;  jingling  hells  are  tied  around  his  ankles  and 
knees ;  ivory  wristlets  are  on  his  arms,  with  which  he  sounds  his 
approach.  With  the  plodding  peasant's  hoe  he  has  dropped  the 
peasant's  garb,  and  is  now  the  proud,  vain,  exultant  warrior — 
bounding  aloft  like  a  gymnast,  eagerly  sniffing  the  battle-field. 

The  tembe  (dwelling-house)  is  divided  into  apartments,  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  by  a  wattled  wall.  Each  apartment  may 
contain  a  family  of  grown-up  boys  and  girls,  who  form  their 
beds  on  the  floor  out  of  dressed  hides.  The  father  of  the  family, 
only,  has  a  kitanda,  or  fixed  cot,  made  of  ox-hide  stretched  over 
a  frame,  or  of  the  bark  of  the  myombo  tree.  The  floor  is  of 
tamped  mud,  and  is  exceedingly  filthy,  smelling  strangely  of  every 
abomination.  In  the  corners,  suspended  to  the  rafters,  are  the 
fine  airy  dwellings  of  black  spiders  of  very  large  size,  and  other 
monstrous  insects. 

The  Wagogo  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  god,  or  sky  spirit, 
whom  they  call  Mulungu.  Their  prayers  are  generally  directed 
to  him  when  their  parents  die.  A  Mgogo,  after  he  has  consigned 
his  father  to  the  grave,  collects  his  father's  chattels  together,  his 
cloth,  his  ivory,  his  knife,  his  jembe  (hoe),  his  bows  and  arrows, 
his  spears,  and  his  cattle,  and  kneels  before  them,  repeating  a 
wish  that  Mulungu  would  increase  his  wordly  wealth,  that  he 
would  bless  his  labors,  and  make  him  successful  in  trade. 

The  following  conversation  occurred  between  Stanley  and  a 
Mgogo  trader : 

"  Who  do  you  suppose  made  your  parents?" 

"  Why,  Mulungu,  white  man  ! " 

"Well,  who  made  you?" 

"If  God  made  my  father,  God  made  me,  didn't  he?" 

"That's  very  good.  Where  do  you  suppose  your  father  is 
gone  to,  now  that  he  is  dead?" 

"The  dead  die,"  said  he,  solemnly:  "they  are  no  more.  The 
sultan  dies,  he  becomes  nothing — he  is  then  no  better  than  a  dead 
dogr,  he  is  finished,  his  words  are  finished — there  are  no  words 

O  *  * 

from  him.     It  is  true,"  he  added,  seeing  a  smile  on  Stanley's 


424  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

face,  "  the  Sultan  becomes  nothing.  He  who  says  other  words 
is  a  liar.  There  !" 

"  How  do  you  bury  a  Mgogo?" 

"  His  legs  are  tied  together,  his  right  arm  to  his  body,  and  his 
left  is  put  under  his  head.  He  is  then  rolled  on  his  left  side  in 
the  grave.  His  cloth  he  wore  during  his  life  is  spread  over  him. 
We  put  the  earth  over  him,  and  put  thorn  bushes  over  it  to  pre- 
vent the  hyenas  from  getting  at  him.  A  woman  is  put  on  her 
right  side  in  a  grave  apart  from  the  man." 

"In  cases  of  murder,  what  do  you  do  to  the  man  who  kills 
another?" 

"  The  murderer  has  to  pay  fifty  cows.  If  he  is  too  poor  to 
pay,  the  Sultan  gives  his  permission  to  the  murdered  man's  friends 
or  relatives  to  kill  him.  If  they  catch  him,  they  tie  him  to  a 
tree  and  throw  spears  at  him — one  at  a  time  first ;  they  then 
spring  on  him,  cut  his  head  off,  then  his  arms,  and  limbs,  and 
scatter  them  about  the  country." 

"  How  do  you  punish  a  thief?" 

"If  he  is  found  stealing,  he  is  killed  at  once,  and  nothing  is 
said  about  it.  Is  he  not  a  thief?" 

"  But  suppose  you  do  not  know  who  the  thief  is?" 

"  If  a  man  is  brought  before  us  accused  of  stealing,  we  kill  a 
chicken.  If  the  entrails  are  white,  he  is  innocent — if  yellow,  he 
is  guilty." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  witchcraft?" 

"  Of  course  we  do,  and  punish  the  man  with  death  if  he 
bewitches  cattle,  or  stops  rain." 

The  Wakimbu  are  something  like  the  Wasagarain  appearance, 
and  also  in  disposition,  only  much  more  industrious.  They  are 
the  best  agriculturists  in  Africa,  and  though  their  country  is  far 
from  being  the  richest,  by  their  industrious  tillage  they  make  it 
the  most  productive.  But  they  are  arrant  cowards.  Their 
bomas — communal  dwellings — are  so  well  constructed  that  it 
would  require  heavy  cannon  to  break  them  down.  They  do  little 
or  no  hunting,  but  are  skilful  in  constructing  traps  for  elephants 
and  buffaloes,  in  which  they  frequently  catch  lions  and  leopards. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  425 

A  ROYAL  RECEPTION. 

STANLEY  was  royally  received  at  Unyanyembe  by  the  Arab 
population,  which  numbered  about  500  out  of  a  total  of  5,000 
persons.  The  governor,  Sayd  bin  Salim,  invited  him  to  his 
house,  where  a  delightful  repast  awaited  him,  with  accompanying 
condiments  and  delicious  sherbet.  Stanley  entertained  the 
governor  by  relating  to  him  the  latest  news  concerning  the  per- 
sonal and  political  affairs  of  Arabia  and  Egypt.  When  the  enter- 
tainment was  finished  Sayd  bin  Salim  showed  him  to  the  house  he 
was  to  occupy  during  his  stay  in  Unyanyembe,  and  took  great 
pride  in  calling  his  attention  to  its  many  rooms,  as  follows  : 

"Walk  in,  master,  this  is  your  house,  now;  here  are  your 
men's  quarters  ;  here  you  will  receive  the  great  Arabs  ;  here  is  the 
cook-house  ;here  is  the  store-house  ;  here  is  the  prison  for  the 
refractory  ;  here  are  your  white  men's  apartments  ;  and  these  are 
your  own:  see,  here  is  the  bedroom,  here  is  the  gun-room, 
bath-room,"  etc. 

Stanley  now  turned  his  attention  to  storing  his  goods  and  pay- 
ing off  his  carriers,  this  being  the  end  of  the  trade  route  from 
Bagamoyo.  When  they  were  dismissed  his  force  was  reduced  to 
twenty-five  men,  all  the  caravans  having  arrived  and  reported. 

"Just  as  I  began  to  feel  hungry  again,"  says  Stanley,  "came 
several  slaves  in  succession,  bearing  trays  full  of  good  things 
from  the  Arabs  ;  first  an  enormous  dish  of  rice,  with  a  bowlful 
of  curried  chicken  ;  another  with  a  dozen  huge  wheaten  cakes, 
another  with  a  plateful  of  smoking  hot  crullers  ;  another  with 
papaws,  another  with  pomegranates  and  lemons  ;  after  these 
came  men  driving  five  fat  hump-backed  oxen,  eight  sheep  and 
ten  goats,  and  another  man  came  with  a  dozen  chickens  and  a 
dozen  fresh  eggs.  This  was  real,  practical,  noble  courtesy, 
munificent  hospitality,  which  quite  took  my  gratitude  by  storm. 
My  people  were  as  delighted  at  the  prodigal  plentitude  visble  on 
my  tables  and  in  my  yards  as  I  was  myself.  And,  as  I  saw 
their  'eyes  light  up  at  the  unctuous  anticipations  presented  to 
them  by  their  riotous  fancies,  I  ordered  a  bullock  to  be  slaugh- 
tered and  distributed." 


426  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Owing  to  sickness  and  a  war  that  took  place  between  the 
Arabs  and  a  native  chief  named  Mirarnbo,  soon  after  Stanley's 
arrival,  he  was  detained  at  Unyanyembe  nearly  three  months, 
and  was  at  last  compelled,  by  the  disturbed  state  into  which  this 
war  threw  the  country,  to  abandon  the  regular  route  to  Ujiji  and 
make  a  long  circuit  to  the  southwest,  in  order  to  avoid  coming 
in  conflict  with  the  terrible  Mirambo,  who  had  defeated  the 
Arabs  in  two  pitched  battles,  and  who  is  described  as  the  Napo- 
leon of  Africa.  On  the  20th  of  September,  having  organized  a 
new  force,  he  started  once  more  for  Ujiji,  by  the  southern  route 
just  described. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DEATH    OF    SHAW. 

THE  march  from  Unyanyembe  was  begun  under  very  unfavor- 
able auspices,  and  evil  circumstances  arose  one  after  another, 
until  the  end  of  the  sixth  day's  march.  Shaw  was  afflicted  with 
hypochondria,  and  though  his  sickness  was  a  brooding  despond- 
ency, it  preyed  upon  his  nerves  until  he  really  was  unfitted  for 
travel  ;  he  frequently  fell  from  his  donkey,  and  groaned  with 
such  an  agony  of  despair  that,  at  his  oft-repeated  request,  he  was 
sent  back  to  Unyanyembe,  though  Stanley  warned  him  that  in 
his  condition,  and  among  a  barbaroijs  people  whose  language  he 
could  not  understand,  he  would  be  sure  to  die.  This  prediction 
was  verified  a  few  weeks  later. 

After  passing  Uganda,  which  is  a  well-fortified  city  of  3,000 
people,  the  troubles  of  the  expedition  gradually  ceased,  for  the 
country  became  more  elevated  and  healthful. 

SURPRISED   AT   THE    SIGHT    OF   A   WHITE    MAN. 

OCTOBER  4th  found  Stanley  on  the  hot  plains  of  Manyara, 
which  are  on  the  margin  of  a  great  country  abounding  with  large 
game.  The  village  of  Manyara  is  not  large,  but  the  country  is 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  427 

rich  and  populous.  He  was  denied  admission  at  the  village  gate* 
and  had  to  camp  near  a  pool  of  clear  water  beside  a  number  of 
ruined  huts. 

Owing  to  the  general  insecurity  felt  by  every  village  since 
Mirambo  had  begun  his  guerilla  warfare,  the  chief  of  Manyara 
refused  to  sell  Stanley  any  grain  or  provisions,  claiming  that  he 
was  prohibited  by  the  district  governor  from  having  any  commu- 
nication with  caravans. 

Stanley  was  much  disappointed  by  this  refusal,  but  relying  on 
diplomacy  to  procure  provisions,  he  selected  two  royal  cloths 
from  a  bale  and  gave  them  to  Bombay  with  an  order  to  deliver 
them  to  the  chief,  with  his  compliments.  Bombay  carried  out 
his  master's  orders,  but  the  chief  refused  the  presents,  and  in  a 
husky  voice  told  Bombay  that  he  did  not  want  to  be  bothered. 
In  consequence  of  this  futile  effort  to  obtain  food  the  men  had 
to  go  to  bed  supperless.  On  the  following  morning  Stanley 
sent  Bombay  again,  with  four  royal  cloths  and  a  quantity  of 
brass,  which  the  chief  received  with  much  delight,  and  sent  in 
return  a  large  supply  of  honey,  fowls,  goats,  beans,  etc.,  enough 
to  last  four  days. 

This  evidence  of  astonishing  liberality  was  shortly  after  fol- 
lowed by  a  visit  from  the  chief  himself,  together  with  several 
other  prominent  natives.  Stanley  received  them  politely,  on  a 
piece  of  Persian  carpet  and  a  bear-skin.  They  looked  at  him 
with  great  surprise,  he  being  the  first  white  man  they  had  ever 
seen,  and  gave  expression  to  their  wonder  by  fits  of  laughter. 
The  Winchester  rifle  elicited  a  thousand  flattering  remarks,  while 
they  looked  upon  the  revolvers  as  pieces  of  magic.  When  a 
double-barreled  shot-gun  was  discharged  near  them,  they  jumped 
with  remarkable  elasticity,  but  seeing  no  harm  was  done,  they 
fell  to  laughing  in  the  most  immoderate  manner.  As  their 
enthusiasm  increased,  they  seized  each  other's  index  fingers, 
screwed  them,  and  pulled  at  them  until  it  seemed  as  if  those 
useful  members  would  be  dislocated.  After  having  explaind  to 
them  the  difference  between  white  men  and  Arabs,  Stanley 
pulled  out  his  medicine  chest,  which  evoked  another  burst  of 


428 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDEKS. 


rapturous  sighs  at  the  cunning  neatness  of  the  array  of  vials. 
The  chief  asked  what  they  meant. 


"Dowa,"  replied  Stanley,  senteutiously,  a  word  which  may 
be  interpreted — medicine. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  429 

"  Oh-h,  oh-h,"  they  murmured  admiringly.  "  Down,  <lowa," 
they  added. 

"Here,"  said  Stanley,  uncorking  a  vial  of  medicinnl  brandy, 
"  is  the  Kisungu  pombe  "  (white  man's  beer)  ;  "  take  n  spoon- 
ful and  try  it,''  at  the  same  time  handing  it  to  the  Suhan,  who 
gulped  down  a  large  mouthful  of  it. 

"  Hacht,  hacht,  oh,  hacht !  what !  eh  !  what  strong  beer  the 
white  men  have!  Oh,  how  my  throat  burns!"  exclaimed  the 
Sultan. 

"  Ah,  but  it  is  good,"  said  Stanley,  "  a  little  of  it  makes  men 
feel  strong,  and  good  ;  but  too  much  of  it  makes  men  bad,  and 
they  die." 

"Let  me  have  some,"  said  one  of  the  chiefs ;  "and  me," 
"  and  me,"  "and  me,"  as  soon  as  each  had  tasted. 

He  next  produced  a  bottle  of  concentrated  ammonia,  which  he 
explained  was  for  snake-bites  and  head-aches  ;  the  Sultan  imme- 
diately complained  that  he  had  a  head-ache,  and  must  have  a. 
little.  Telling  him  to  close  his  eyes,  Stanley  suddenly  uncorked 
the  bottle  and  presented  it  to  his  Majesty's  nose.  The  effect 
was  magical,  for  he  fell  back  as  if  shot,  and  such  contortions 
as  his  features  underwent  are  indescribable.  His  chiefs  roared 
with  laughter,  and  clapped  their  hands,  pinched  each  other, 
snapped  their  fingers,  and  performed  many  other  ludicrous 
actions. 

A  HUNTER'S  PARADISE. 

ONE  day's  march  from  Manyara  brought  the  caravan  to  the 
banks  of  the  Gombe  river,  along  which  are  thousands  of  harte- 
beests,  buffaloes,  giraffes,  spring-boks,  zebras  and  elands. 
This  was  indeed  a  hunter's  paradise  ;  a  fine,  grassy  plain,  soft  as 
velvet  carpet,  healthful  and  picturesque  ;  no  one  could  well  resist 
the  temptation  which  here  offered  for  a  hunt.  Stanley  made 
preparations  for  hie  camp,  after  which,  taking  up  his  double- 
barreled  smooth-bore,  he  went  o'ut  into  the  park-land.  Scarcely 
had  he  entered  a  clump  of  brush-wood,  hardly  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  camp,  when  three  beautiful  young  spring-boks 

re  seen,  browsipg  oa  the  succulent  gmss,  A  quick  shot  brought 


430 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


one  to  the  ground,  the  throat  of  which  was  reverently  cut  a  mo- 
ment after  by  the  Arab  gun-bearer  with  a  fervent  "  Bismillah." 
As  it  was  nearly  time  for  supper,  Stanley  hurried  back  to 
camp  to  have  the  fresh  meat  prepared  ;  then  followed  a  repast  of 
delicious  steak,  hot  corn  cake  and  Mocha  coffee,  with  a  pipe  of 
fine  tobacco  for  desert.  Glorious  life  in  Africa !  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  and  the  next  the  royal  sport  was  continued,  but  the 
Winchester  was  too  small  for  the  lordly  forest  game,  as  only  a 
very  few  out  of  the  hundreds  wounded  were  killed.  The  animals 
taken  to  camp  during  the  three  days'  sport  were  two  buffaloes, 

two  wild  boars,  three 
^  hartebeests,  one  zebra, 

and    one   pallah ;    besides 


eight 


which    were     shot 
guinea-fowls,   three    flori- 


cans,  two  fish  eagles,  one 
pelican,  and  one  of  the 
men  caught  a  couple  of 
large  silurus  fish.  In  the 
meantime  the  people  had 
cut,  sliced,  and  dried  this 
bounteous  store  of  meat 
for  the  transit  through 

o 

the  long  wilderness  be- 
fore them. 

NARROW   ESCAPE    FROM   A    CROCODILE. 


THE  HUNTER'S  PARADISE. 


ONE  day  during  the  hunt  Stanley  came  upon  the  bank  of  the 
Yombe  river,  and  the  water  looked  so  pure,  cool  and  limpid  that 
he  decided  to  take  a  bath.  He  had  divested  himself  of  his 
clothes,  and  was  just  preparing  for  a  headlong  plunge,  when  he 
saw  the  indistinct  form  of  a  monster  crocodile  glide  a  few  feet 
under  the  water  and  stop  immediately  under  him,  as  if  waiting 
for  him  to  spring.  If  he  had  dived,  as  he  intended ,  he  would  have 
gone  into  the  very  jaws  of  the  ferocious  reptile.  With  a  shud- 
der of  horror  he  quickly  dressed  and  left  the  seductive  but  dan- 
gerous spot. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  431 

On  ihe  fti»  of  October  Stanley  ordered  his  men  to  break 
camp  and  resume  the  march  ;  an  ominous  silence  followed  ;  the 
order  was  repeated  in  a  tone  of  seventy,  and  the  men  moved  off, 
but  after  proceeding  a  short  distance  they  threw  down  their 
loads  and  refused  to  go  any  further.  He  saw  at  once  that  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  mutiny,  and  that  Bombay  was  the  leader. 
Shoving  some  buckshot  shells  into  Lis  gun,  he  walked  quicklv 
toward  the  head  of  the  column,  but  was  arrested  by  ob^ervino1 
two  guns  pointed  toward  him  from  an  ant-hill  which  partially 
screened  two  murderous  guides.  He  thiew  his  gun  into  position 
and  threatened  to  blow  their  heads  off  if  th^y  did  not  come  to 
him  at  once.  Being  too  cowardly  to  shoot  and  take  the  chances, 
they  sullenly  left  their  hiding  place  and  walked  slowly  forward. 
These  two  men  were  Asmar.i  and  his  sworn  companion  Mabruki. 
Stanley  kept  his  eye  on  Asmani,  and  saw  him  move  his  finger  to 
the  trigger  of  his  gun  and  bring  the  gun  to  a  "  ready."  Again 
Stanley  lifted  his  gun,  and  threatened  him  with  instant  death  if 
he  did  not  drop  his  weapon. 

Asmani  came  on  in  a  sidelong  way,  with  a  smirking  smi^e  on 
his  face,  but  in  his  eyes  shone  the  lurid  light  of  murder,  plainly 
as  ever  it  shone  in  a  villain's  eyes.  Mabruki  sneaked  to  the 
rear,  deliberately  putting  powder  in  the  pan  of  his  musket,  but, 
quickly  turning,  Stanley  planted  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  about 
two  feet  from  his  wicked-looking  face,  and  ordered  him  to  drop 
his  gun  instantly.  He  let  it  fall  from  his  hand,  and  giving  him 
a  vigorous  poke  in  the  breast  with  his  gun,  sent  him  reeling 
away  a  few  feet  from  him.  Stanley  faced  round  to  Asmani,  and 
ordered  him  to  put  his  gun  down,  pressing  gently  on  the  trigger 
of  his  own  gun  at  the  same  time.  Never  was  a  man  nearer  his 
death  than  was  Asmani  during  those  few  moments,  and  realizing 
the  fact  he  obeyed.  The  truth  was,  they  feared  to  proceed 
further  on  the  road,  and  the  only  possible  way  of  inducing  them 
to  move  was  by  firmness  and  determination. 

The  men  appeared  all  the  better  for  this  escapade,  in  which 
they  had  gained  nothing,  but  learned  that  they  were  governed  by 
a  resolute  leader.  They  marched  with  quick  step,  and  even 


432 


THE   WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


cheerful  countenances,  and  gained  Mreraon  the  17th  of  October. 
Here  they  were  beyond  the  country  so  disturbed  by  Mirambo, 
and  felt  that  all  danger  had  been  passed.  Confidence  returned, 
and  Bombay  was  ready  to  embrace  Stanley,  to  show  his  loyalty. 


The  forests,  too,  were  invitingly  laden  with  wild  fruits,  among 
other  kinds  being  the  peach,  which  grew  in  great  abundance  and 
was  most  delicious  in  taste.  The  distance  to  Ujiji  was  now  less 
Ifiati  one  hundrecj  miles,  and  the  guides  declared  they  could 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  433 

already  sinell  the  fish  in  Lake  Tanganika.     In  short,  everybody 
was  happy. 

A    FRIGHTENED    LEOPARD. 

OCTOBER  22  brought  the  caravan  to  a  small  pellucid  stream  of 
water  called  Mtambu ;  they  had  now  reached  the  home  of  the 
lion,  leopard,  and  wild  boar.  Here  they  went  into  camp  in  a 
beautiful  spot,  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  river.  The 
herd-keeper  drove  the  donkeys  and  goats  down  to  the  stream  of 
water,  to  reach  which  they  had  to  pass  through  a  brake  by  a  path 
made  by  elephants  and  rhinoceri.  They  had  barely  entered  the 
dark  passage  when  a  black-spotted  leopard  sprang  out  and  fas- 
tened its  fangs  in  the  neck  of  one  of  the  donkeys,  causing  it  to 
emit  several  loud,  unearthy  brays.  The  other  donkeys  joined 
their  comrade  in  braying,  and  at  the  same  time  commenced  a 
vigorous  kicking  with  their  heels.  The  poor  leopard  was  so 
frightened  at  the  terrible  and  unusual  noise  that  he  released  his 
victim  and  fled  into  the  jungle.  The  donkey  was  badly  bitten, 
but  recovered  from  its  hurts. 

THE  MONKEYS  AND  THE  WILD  BOAR. 

THIS  incident  led  Stanley  to  take  a  stroll  round  the  camp,  to 
see  what  game  he  could  discover,  taking  his  boy  Kalulu  with  him 
to  carry  an  extra  gun.  They  walked  some  time  without  seeing 
any  kind  of  animal,  and  were  on  the  point  of  returning  to  camp 
when  a  troop  of  monkeys,  perched  in  the  branches  of  a  tree 
overhead,  and  disturbed  -by  the  sight  of  a  white  man,  chattered 
and  grimaced  so  vigorously  that  Stanley  was  provoked  into  a 
hearty  laugh.  As  the  monkeys  were  startled  by  a  strange  sight, 
so  was  Stanley,  when,  in  turning  from  them,  he  discovered  a 
huge,  reddish-colored  wild  boar,  armed  with  horrid  tu^ks,  stand- 
ing near  him.  Recovering  his  self-possession,  he  advanced  within 
forty  yards  of  the  beast  and  fired  at  its  fore-shoulder.  The 
boar  made  a  furious  bound,  and  then  stood  with  his  bristles 
erected  and  his  tufted  tail  curved  over  his  back.  Another  shot 
was  planted  in  his  chest,  and  ploughed  its  way  entirely  through 
his  body :  but,  instead  of  falling,  the  boar  charged  at  Stanley, 
and  received  another  bullet  through  the  body,  whereupon  it 
23  w 


434  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

dropped,  but  as  Stanley  stooped  to  cut  its  throat,  it  sprang  up 
and  darted  off  into  the  jungle. 

On  the  2d  of  November  the  expedition  reached  the  Malagazazi 
river,  and  in  attempting  to  swim  one  of  the  donkeys  over,  a  large 
crocodile  seized  it  by  the  neck,  and  in  spite  of  its  terrific  braying 
and  struggling,  and  the  efforts  of  the  men  in  tugging  on  the 
rope,  the  poor  donkey  was  carried  under  and  devoured. 

LIVINGSTONE    HEARD    FROM. 

THE  following  day  Stanley  met  a  caravan  of  eighty  Waguhha, 
a  tribe  living  in  a  district  on  the  southwestern  side  of  Lake  Tan- 
ganika.  They  had  come  direct  from  Ujiji,  and  reported  the  pres- 
ence of  a  white  man  there  who  was  very  sick,  having  marched 
from  a  far  country  in  the  west  and  been  deserted  by  his  carriers. 
Stanley  questioned  the  captain  of  the  caravan  closely,  and  soon 
became  convinced  that  the  white  man  was  none  other  than  Liv- 
ingstone. He  was  almost  beside  himself  with  joy  over  this  news, 
and  succeeded  in  imparting  some  of  his  enthusiasm  to  his  men 
by  promises  of  rewards  and  extra  pay  if  they  would  push  ahead 
under  rapid  marches  for  Ujiji.  He  hoped  to  reach  that  place 
without  another  halt,  but  they  were  soon  detained  by  a  warlike 
chief,  who  demanded  excessive  tribute  for  the  privilege  of  pass- 
ing through  his  country.  Fifty  robust  and  well-armed  warriors 
appeared  to  enforce  the  demand,  whereupon  Stanley  decided  to 
camp  for  the  night  and  endeavored  to  compromise  matters.  He 
learned,  also,  that  there  were  several  other  chiefs  between  him 
and  Ujiji  who  would  demand  toll,  and  as  his  goods,  which  were 
his  only  means  of  traveling  through  the  country,  were  running 
very  low,  matters  were  beginning  to  assume  a  serious  aspect. 
Upon  consulting  with  his  men,  he  learned  that  it  would  be  pos- 
sible to  reach  their  destination  by  turning  aside  from  the  traveled 
road  and  pursuing  some  paths  through  the  jungle,  until  they  had 
passed  the  limits  of  the  toll-demanding  chiefs.  He  at  once 
decided  upon  this  course,  and  a  native  guide  having  been  pro- 
cured, and  the  strictest  silence  imposed  upon  every  member  of 
the  expedition,  about  midnight,  after  the  moon  had  risen,  they 
stole  out  of  camp,  in  squads  of  four,  and  followed  the  new  guide 


TILE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  435 

through  the  intricate  paths  of  the  jungle.  By  this  means  they 
succeeded  in  evading  the  unfriendly  chiefs,  and  having  passed 
their  country,  after  a  fatiguing  and  painful  march,  they  again 
turned  into  the  traveled  road,  and  pushed  on  with  light  hearts 
for  Ujiji. 

Upon  camping  for  a  very  much-needed  rest,  Stanley  heard  a 
noise  in  the  west  like  distant  thunder.  Inquiring  the  cause,  one 
of  the  guides  told  him  it  was  Kabogo. 

"Kabogo!  What  is  that?" 

"It  is  a  great  mountain  on  the  other  side  of  the  Tanganika, 
full  of  deep  holes,  into  which  the  water  rolls  ;  and  when  there  is 
wind  on  the  Tanganika  there  is  a  sound  like  mvuha  (thunder). 
Many  boats  have  been  lost  there,  and  it  is  a  custom  with  Arabs 
and  natives  to  throw  cloth — Merikani  and  Kaniki — and  especially 
white  (Merikani)  beads,  to  appease  the  mulungu  (god)  of  the 
lake.  Those  who  throw  beads  generally  get  past  without  trouble, 
but  those  who  do  not  throw  beads  into  the  lake  get  lost  and  are 
drowned.  Oh,  it  is  a  dreadful  place  !"  This  story  was  told  by 
the  ever-smiling  Asmani,  and  was  corroborated  by  other  former 
mariners  of  the  lake  who  were  with  the  expedition.  The  distance 
from  camp  to  Kabogo  was  fully  one  hundred  miles.  The  noise 
is  produced  by  the  thundering  waves  dashing  into  the  caves  along 
the  mountain  side. 

MEETING    WITH   LIVINGSTONE. 

ON  the  16th  of  November  they  reached  Ujiji,  and  marched 
into  the  village  with  flags  flying,  drums  beating  and  guns  firing. 
Crowds  of  Arabs  and  natives  came  running  to  meet  them,  and 
upon  arriving  within  a  short  distance  of  the  huts  of  the  village 
Stanley  was  startled  to  hear  a  pleasant  "  Good  morning,  sir,"  in 
English,  close  to  his  side.  Looking  around  he  saw  a  very  black 
man  with  an  animated  and  joyous  face,  who  proved  to  be  Susi, 
Dr.  Livingstone's  faithful  servant.  From  him  Stanley  soon 
learned  that  the  Doctor  was  at  his  house  in  the  village  only  a 
short  distance  from  them.  In  a  moment  Chuma,  another  one  of 
the  Doctor's  servants,  appeared,  and  Stanley  directed  them  to 
run  and  tell  their  master  that  he  was  coming.  Then  pushing  his 


436 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


way  through   the   crowd   he  walked  toward  a  small   group  of 
Arabs,  in  front  of  whom  stood  a  white  man  with  grey  beard. 


Approaching  him,  Stanley  lifted  his  hat  and  said : 
"Dr.  Livingstone,  I  presume?" 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  437 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  lifting  his  cap  and  smiling. 

They  then  shook  hands,  and  Stanley  exclaimed,  "  I  thank  God, 
Doctor,  I  have  been  permitted  to  see  you." 

"I  feel  thankful  that  I  am  here  to  welcome  you,"  was  the 
reply.  AND  LIVINGSTONE  WAS  FOUND. 

Stanley  says  he  had  expected  to  find  a  haughty,  reserved  man 
who  would  probably  resent  his  visit  as  an  unnecessary  intrusion  ; 
and  it  was  his  intention  to  simply  interview  him  as  he  would  any 
other  distinguished  stranger,  and  then  return  to  America.  But 
he  was  most  agreeably  surprised  to  find  the  Doctor  a  very  conge- 
nial and  pleasant  companion. 

Stanley  delivered  the  packet  of  letters  which  he  had  brought 
from  Zanzibar,  now  365  days  old.  Livingstone  opened  the  bag 
and  taking  them  out  read  one  from  his  children,  then  laid  the 
rest  aside  in  order  that  he  might  hear  the  news  of  the  world, 
which  for  two  years  had  been  as  a  sealed  book  to  him.  It  was 
an  animated  conversation  on  both  sides,  equally  interesting  and 
refreshing.  A  repast  was  prepared  and  both  indulged  a  vigor- 
ous appetite.  Livingstone  kept  repeating,  "  You  have  brought 
me  new  life — you  have  brought  me  new  life."  Suddenly  inter- 
rupting, Stanley  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  by  George  I  I  have  forgotten  something.  Hasten,  Se- 
lim,  and  bring  that  bottle  ;  you  know  which  ;  and  bring  me  the 
silver  goblets.  I  brought  this  bottle  on  purpose  for  this  event, 
which  I  hoped  would  come  to  pass,  though  often  it  seemed  use- 
less to  expect  it." 

Selim  knew  where  the  bottle  was,  and  he  soon  returned  with 
it — a  bottle  of  Sillery  champagne ;  and,  handing  the  Doctor  a 
silver  goblet  brimful  of  the  exhilarating  wine,  and  pouring  a  small 
quantity  into  his  own,  he  said  : 

"  Dr.  Livingstone,  to  your  very  good  health,  sir." 

"  And  to  yours,"  he  responded. 

And  the  champagne,  which  had  been  treasured  for  this  happy 
•meeting,  was  drunk  with  hearty  good  wishes  to  each  other. 


438  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.      - 

JOINT  EXPLORATIONS  ON  TANGANIKA  LAKE. 

STANLEY  remained  with  Livingstone  in  Ujiji  for  about  a  week, 
interviewing  him  each  day  as  a  voracious  press  reporter,  anxious 
to  obtain  the  incidents  of  his  explorations  and  adventures  forthe 
Herald.  In  these  daily  intercourses  he  learned  to  admire,  indeed 
almost  venerate,  the  great  Englishman,  whose  character  he 
declares  was  as  near  angelic  as  mortals  ever  became. 

Livingstone  had  reached  Ujiji  sick  and  so  destitute  that  he  was 
dependent  upon  the  generosity  of  Sayd  bin  Majid,  an  Arab 
trader,  who  proved  himself  a  most  amiable  and  generous  friend. 
In  his  impoverished  condition  Livingstone  could  not  renew  his 
travels,  and  he  was  therefore  in  idleness,  awaiting  supplies  from 
Zanzibar. 

Stanley  had  reached  Ujiji  in  the  most  opportune  time,  and  per- 
ceiving the  Doctor's  poverty,  suggested  that  they  should  make  a 
joint  exploration  of  the  north  end  of  Tanganika  lake  and  settle 
the  question  of  the  Rusizi  river,  after  which  they  would  return  to 
Unyanyembe,  where,  from  the  many  bales  of  goods  left  by 
Stanley,  Livingstone  could  be  well  supplied  for  another  year's 
campaign.  To  this  proposition  the  Doctor  assented,  and,  pro- 
curing a  large  canoe  from  Sayd  bin  Majid,  capable  of  carrying 
sixteen  men  and  necessary  provisions,  the  two  set  sail.  The 
incidents  of  this  trip  have  already  been  given  in  Livingstone's 
travels,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  them  here. 

They  returned  to  Ujiji  on  the  13th  of  December,  1871,  intend- 
ing to  start  at  once  for  Unyanyembe,  but  Stanley  was  taken  sick 
and  confined  to  his  bed  until  Christmas,  and  even  then  he  was 
unable  to  celebrate  the  day  by  a  feast  such  as  he  had  intended. 
On  the  26th  they  began  their  preparations  for  the  journey  to 
Unyanyembe,  having  decided  to  follow  the  lake  south  to  a  village 
called  Urimba,  and  inarch  overland  from  that  point,  in  order 
to  evade  the  tribute-gatherers  on  the  regular  route.  They 
obtained  two  canoes  from  the  Arabs,  in  which  they  embarked  with 
a  portion  of  their  men,  the  remainder  following  along  the  shores 
of  the  lake  to  the  starting  point.  They  set  sail  on  the  27th, 
Stanley  in  the  larger  canoe,  with  the  American  flag  flying  at  the 


THE    WORLD *8    WONDERS.  439 

stem,  and  Livingstone  in  the  smaller  one,  under  the  British  flag. 
The  men  were  greatly  delighted  over  the  shrewd  evasion  of  the 
tribute-gatherers,  and  broke  into  an  impromptu  song,  as  follows  : 

"  We  have  given  the  Waha,  the  slip  !  ha,  ha  ! 
The  Wavinza  will  trouble  us  ho  more !  oh,  oh  ! 
Mionvu  can  get  no  more  cloth  from  us  !  hy,  hy  ! 
And  Kiala  will  see  us  no  more — never  more  !  he,  he  !  " 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1872,  they  reached  Urimba,  where  an 
encampment  was  made  and  two  days  spent  in  hunting  zebras  and 
buffaloes,  and  enough  meat  was  procured  and  dried  to  last  the 
caravan  several  days,  thus  saving  the  goats  and  sheep.  On  the 
7th  they  started  on  the  overland  journey. 

ADVENTUKE  WITH  AN  ELEPHANT. 

THEY  had  traveled  several  days,  and  after  camping  one  after- 
noon, Stanley  thought  he  would  endeavor  to  procure  some  meat, 
which  the  interesting  region  where  they  then  were  seemed  to 
promise.  He  sallied  out  with  his  little  Winchester  along  the 
banks  of  the  river  eastward.  After  traveling  for  an  hour  or  two, 
the  prospect  getting  more  picturesque  and  lovely,  he  went  up  a 
ravine  which  looked  very  promising.  Unsuccessful,  he  strode  up 
the  bank,  and  to  his  astonishment  found  himself  directly  in  front 
of  an  elephant,  who  had  his  large  broad  ears  held  out  like  stud- 
ding sails — the  colossal  monster,  the  incarnation  of  might  of  the 
African  world. 

Kalulu,  wb  >  was  with  his  master,  shouted,  "  Tembo  !  tembo  ! 
baua  yango  !  Lo  !  an  elephant !  an  elephant,  my  master  !  "  For 
the  young  black  rascal  had  fled  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  awful 
colossus  in  such  close  vicinage.  Recovering  from  his  astonish- 
ment, Stanley  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  also — especially  with 
a  pea-shooter  loaded  with  treacherous  sawdust  cartridges  in  his 
hand.  As  he  looked  behind  he  saw  the  elephant  waving  his 
trunk,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Good-bye,  young  fellow,  it  is  lucky 
for  you  that  you  went  in  time,  for  I  was  going  to  pound  you 
to  a  jelly." 

Upon  arriving  at  camp  he  found  the  men  grumbling ;  their 
provisions  were  ended,  and  there  was  no  prospect  for  three  days, 


4*0 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


at  least,  of  procuring  any.     With  the  improvidence  usual  with 
the  gluttons,  they  had  eaten  their  rations  of  grain,  all  their  store 


STANLEY  AND  THE  FRIENDLY  ELEPHANT. 


of  zebra  and  dried  buffalo  meat,  and  were  now  crying  out  that 
they  were  famished. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  441 

The  caravan  was  forced  to  subsist  on  short  rations  for  two  days, 
until  Stanley  shot  a  very  large  giraffe  and  some  zebras,  the  flesh 
of  which  afforded  food  until  they  reached  Uganda,  where  they 
were  hospitably  received  and  generously  provided  for.  After 
leaving  Uganda  the  slaughter  of  goats  and  sheep  commenced, 
and  these  furnished  abundant  meat  until  they  arrived  at  Unyan- 
yembe. 

THE    SEPARATION. 

THEY  rested  at  Unyanyembe  until  March  18th,  when  Stanley 
divided  his  goods  with  the  Doctor  and  set  out  on  a  hurried  march 
for  Zanzibar,  where  it  was  arranged  that  he  should  enlist  a  new 
company  and  send  them  back  to  the  Doctor,  with  such  additional 
supplies  and  goods  as  he  needed.  It  was  a  sad  farewell.  A 
strong  mutual  attachment  had  sprung  up  between  the  two  men, 
alone  in  the  wilderness  of  Central  Africa,  and  when  the  time 
came  they  found  it  hard  to  separate.  Stanley  was  going  home, 
to  the  comforts  and  pleasures  of  civilization,  while  his  friend 
would  again  plunge  into  the  dark  forests  in  search  of  that  ignis 
fatuus,  the  sources  of  the  Nile.  They  walked  together  along  the 
homeward  route  for  some  distance  ;  then  Livingstone  stopped 
and  held  out  his  hand.  The  time  to  part  had  come.  Words 
stuck  fast  in  the  throats  of  each  during  that  silent,  earnest  grip 
of  the  hands.  Livingstone  turned  his  face  to  the  west,  and 
walked  slowly  back  toward  Unyanyembe,  and  descending  a  gentle 
slope  he  disappeared  forever  from  the  civilized  world,  while 
Stanley  thoughtfully  and  sorrowfully  turned  his  face  to  the  east. 

THE    POMP   AND    CIRCUMSTANCE    OF   WAR. 

EVERYTHING  went  well  with  the  returning  expedition  until  the 
27th,  when  the  village  of  Kiwyeh,  on  the  borders  of  Ugog-o,  was 
entered.  They  had  barely  encamped  when  they  heard  the  boom- 
ing, bellowing  war-horns  sounding  everywhere,  and  espied  mes- 
sengers darting  swiftly  in  all  directions  giving  the  alarm  of  war. 
When  first  informed  that  the  horns  were  calling  the  people  to 
arm  themselves  and  prepare  for  war,  Stanley  half  suspected  that 
an  attack  was  about  to  be  made  on  the  expedition  ;  but  the  words 
"  Urugu,  warugu  " — (thief  !  thieves  I) — bandied  about,  declared 


442  tHE   WORLD* S    WONDERS. 

the  cause.  Mukondoku,  the  chief  of  the  populous  district  two 
days  to  the  northeast,  was  marching  to  attack  the  young  Mtemi, 
Kiwyeh,  and  the  latter's  soldiers  were  called  to  the  fight.  The 
men  rushed  to  their  villages,  and  in  a  short  time  they  were  arrayed 
in  full  fighting  costume.  Feathers  of  the  ostrich  and  the  eagle 
waved  over  their  fronts,  or  the  mane  of  the  zebra  surrounded 
their  heads  ;  their  knees  and  ankles  were  hung  with  little  bells  ; 
joho  robes  floated  behind,  from  their  necks  ;  spears,  assegais, 
knob-sticks  and  bows  were  flourished  over  their  heads,  or  held 
in  their  right  hands,  as  if  ready  for  hurling.  On  each  flank  of 
a  large  body  which  issued  from  the  principal  village,  and  which 
came  at  a  uniform  swinging  double-quick,  the  ankle  and  knee- 
bells  all  chiming  in  admirable  unison,  were  a  cloud  of  skirmishers, 
consisting  of  the  most  enthusiastic,  who  exercised  themselves  in 
mimic  war  as  they  sped  along.  Column  after  column,  companies 
and  groups  from  every  village  hurried  on  past  the  camp,  until 
probably  there  were  nearly  a  thousand  soldiers  gone  to  the  war. 

ROUGH   TRAVELING. 

THE  alarm,  very  fortunately,  proved  a  false  one,  and  on  the 
following  day  the  march  was  renewed  with  the  rapidity  of  a 
flying  column.  No  further  difficulties  were  experienced  until 
April  13th,  when  the  caravan  reached  the  valley  of  the  Mukon- 
dokwa  river.  Here  they  had  to  wade  through  mire  and  water, 
sometimes  up  to  a  man's  neck,  while  torrents  of  rain  poured 
down  incessantly.  On  the  13th  it  rained  the  whole  night,  and 
the  morning  brought  no  cessation.  Mile  after  mile  they  trav- 
ersed over  fields  covered  by  the  inundation,  until  they  came  to  a 
branch  river-side  once  again,  where  the  river  was  narrow  and 
too  deep  to  ford  in  the  middle.  They  cut  a  tree  down,  and  so 
contrived  that  it  should  fall  right  across  the  stream.  Over  this 
fallen  tree  the  men,  bestriding  it,  cautiously  moved  before  them 
their  bales  and  boxes  ;  but  one  young  fellow — through  over-zeal, 
or  in  sheer  madness — took  up  the  Doctor's  box,  containing  his 
letters  and  journal  of  his  discoveries.,  on  his  head,  and  started 
into  the  river.  Stanley  had  been  the  first  to  arrive  on  the  oppo- 
site bank,  in  order  to  superintend  the  crossing,  when  he  caught 


1'Hli   WORLD*S    WONDERS. 


443 


sight  of  this  man  walking  in  the  river  with  the  most  precious  box 
of  all  on  his  head.  Suddenly  he  fell  into  a  deep  hole,  and  man 
and  box  went  almost  out  of  sight,  while  Stanley  was  in  agony 
at  the  fate  which  threatened  the  dispatches.  Fortunately,  he 


recovered  himself  and  stood  up,  while  Stanley  shouted  to  him, 
with  a  loaded  revolver  pointed  at  his  head,  "Look  out!  Drop 
that  box,  and  I'll  shoot  you  I"  All  the  men  halted  in  their  work 
while  they  gazed  at  their  comrade,  who  was  thus  imperiled  by 
bullet  and  flood.  The  man  himself  seemed  to  regard  the  pistol 


444  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

with  the  greatest  awe,  and  after  a  fe\v  desperate  efforts  succeeded 

in  getting  the  box  safely  ashore. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  write  more  concerning  the  home  march, 
as  no  incident  of  special  interest  occurred.  Stanley  reached 
Bagamoyo  on  May  7th,  in  good  health  and  astonishingly  good 
spirits.  He  was  much  surprised  to  meet,  among  the  first  persons 
he  saw  in  the  village,  Lieutenant  Henn,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  and 
Mr.  Oswald  Livingstone,  son  of  the  Doctor,  who  had  been  dis- 
patched to  relieve  the  great  traveler.  The  lieutenant,  a  young, 
dandyish-looking  fellow,  was  delighted  to  learn  that  Stanley  had 
accomplished  the  object  for  which  the  "  Herald"  had  sent  him, 
as  it  saved  him  a  "  uawsty  twip  among  the  howid  people  of  Cen- 
twal  Afwica."  The  English  relief  expedition  was  abandoned, 
and  the  young  lieutenant  and  Oswald  Livingstone  both  returned 
to  England. 

ENGLISH    JEALOUSY. 

STANLEY'S  success  at  first  greatly  aroused  the  jealousy  of  the 
English  people.  He  being  an  American,  they  seemed  to  think  it 
a  piece  of  Yankee  impertinence  for  him  to  try  to  find  and 
save  Livingstone.  This  jealousy  even  extended  to  the  Govern- 
ment, for  in  the  instructions  to  the  commander  of  the  British 
relief  expedition,  not  a  word  of  reference  was  made  to  the 
American  expedition. 

"  In  your  orders,"  said  Stanley  to  Lieut.  Henn,  "is  there 
nothing  said  as  to  what  you  were  to  do  in  the  event  of  your 
meeting  me?" 

"  Not  a  word,  though  they  knew  it  well  ;  for  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  suggested  to  me  privately 
that  I  might  possibly  be  able  to  relieve  you.  I  knew  nothing 
of  your  expedition  except  from  your  letter  to  the  «  Herald;''  but 
we  had  been  informed  that  you  were  sick  from  fever,  and  prob- 
ably dead.  When  I  arrived  here  I  heard  much  about  you,  and 
we  heard  a  report  that  you  had  found  Livingstone  the  very  day 
we  came  here  ;  but  we  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  it.  It  was 
not  until  I  talked  with  your  own  men  that  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  I  was  not  wanted,  and  therefore  resigned." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  445 

"  WTiy  did  they  not  mention  my  name  in  the  instructions? 
They  knew,  according  to  what  you  say, that  I  was  in  the  country  ; 
and,  no  matter  how  poor  a  traveler  I  might  have  been,  it  was  a 
contingency  that  might  arise." 

"  The  truth  is,  they  didn't  want  you  to  find  him.  You  cannot 
imagine  how  jealous  they  are  at  home  about  this  expedition  of 
yours." 

"  Not  find  Livingstone  !  What  does  it  matter  to  them  who 
finds  and  helps  him,  so  long  as  he  is  found  and  relieved?" 

This  was  the  first  shock  Stanley  had  received,  and  from  this 
moment  he  regarded  himself  as  a  doomed  man  with  the  English 
people.  That  anyone  should  have  been  so  inhuman  as  to  desire 
his  failure,  because  it  was  an  American  expedition,  was  the 
remotest  idea  that  could  have  been  entertained.  Until  that 
moment  he  had  never  given  a  thought  as  to  how  people  would 
regard  his  success  or  failure.  He  had  been  too  busily  employed 
in  his  work  even  to  think  of  such  a  wild  and  improbable  thing  as 
that  any  people  would  rather  hope  that  Dr.  Livingstone  should  be 
irrecoverably  lost  than  that  an  American  journalist  should  find  him. 

But  he  was  not  long  at  Zanzibar  before  he  was  thoroughly 
aware  of  the  animus  that  prevailed  in  England.  He  was  shown 
clippings  from  newspapers,  wherein  several  members  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  had  ridiculed  the  American  expedi- 
tion, and  one  member  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  it 
required  the  "  steel  head  of  an  Englishman  "  to  penetrate  Africa. 

Englishmen  are  peculiar  and  sometimes  distressingly  stupid, 
but  they  are  not- always  unjust,  and  sometimes — not  often — 
change  rashly  formed  opinions.  In  Stanley's  case,  their  jealousy 
was  soon  modified.  He  left  Zanzibar  on  May  29th,  and  after 
.-:ome  trying  delays  arrived  in  England,  and  was  afterward  received 
with  kindness  and  distinction  by  the  English  people  ;  but  it  cannot 
be  said  that  they  have  ever  put  a  worthy  estimate  upon  his  labors 
in  behalf  of  their  distinguished  fellow-countryman. 


44(>  ^HE  WORLD'S  WONDERS 


STANLEY'S 

SECOND   EXPEDITION 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PROMPTINGS    WHICH   LED    TO    HIS    SECOND    JOURNEY. 

STANLEY  introduces  his  second  famous  expedition  across  the 
continent  of  Africa  in  the  following  words  : 

"While  returning  to  England  in  April,  '74,  from  the  Ashantee 
War,  the  news  reached  me  that  Livingstone  was  dead — that  his 
body  was  on  its  way  to  England  ! 

"  Livingstone  had  then  fallen  !  He  was  dead  !  He  hud  died  by 
the  shores  of  Lake  Bemba,  on  the  threshold  of  the  dark  region 
he  wished  to  explore  I  The  work  he  had  promised  to  perform 
was  only  begun  when  death  overtook  him  ! 

"  The  effect  which  this  news  had  upon  me,  after  the  first  shock 
had  passed  away,  was  to  fire  me  with  a  resolution  to  complete  his 
work,  to  be,  if  God  willed  it,  the  next  martyr  to  geographical 
science,  or,  if  my  life  was  to  be  spared,  to  clear  up  not  only  the 
secrets  of  the  Great  River  throughout  its  course,  but  also  all  that 
remained  still  problematic  and  incomplete  of  the  discoveries  of 
Burton  and  Speke,  and  Speke  and  Grant. 

"  The  solemn  day  of  the  burial  of  the  body  of  my  great  friend 
arrived.  I  was  one  of  the  pall-bearers  in  Westminister  Abbey, 
and  when  I  had  seen  the  coffin  lowered  into  the  grave,  and  had 
heard  the  first  handful  of  earth  thrown  over  it,  I  walked  away 
sorrowing  over  the  fate  of  David  Livingstone." 

One  day,  strolling  into  the  office  of  the  London  Daily  Tele- 
graph, he  engaged  its  proprietors,  Messrs.  Levy  and  Lawson,  in 
conversation  on  his  favorite  subject,  and  before  leaving  they 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  447 

asked  him  how  he  would  like  to  complete  the  labors  left  unfin- 
ished by  Livingstone.  The  inquiry  added  fresh  fuel  to  his  most 
ardent  desire,  and  the  result  was  an  arrangement  between  the 
proprietors  of  the  Telegraph  and  the  New  York  Herald  by  which 
he  was  commissioned  to  undertake  an  exploration  of  Central 
Africa  with  the  special  view  of  finding  the  Nile's  source. 

The  preliminaries  having  been  agreed  upon,  he  was  not  long  in 
making  his  departure.  Applications  poured  in  upon  him  from 
the  adventure-loving  spirits  of  Europe  and  America,  begging  per- 
mission to  join  the  expedition,  but  he  chose  only  three  young 
Englishmen,  John  and  Edward  Pocock,  and  Frederick  Barker. 
In  the  matter  of  dogs,  however,  he  was  more  liberal,  for  he 
selected  four,  a  mastiff,  retriever,  bull-terrier,  and  a  bull-dog. 

There  was  no  lack  of  money  at  his  disposal,  and  he  was  thereby 
enabled  to  equip  his  expedition  with  everything  that  he  might  by 
any  possibility  require ;  and  when  he  set  sail  on  the  15th  of 
August,  1874,  for  Zanzibar,  he  was  better  prepared  for  the  work 
before  him  than  any  previous  expedition.  He  arrived  at  Zanzi- 
bar on  the  21st  of  September,  and  on  November  12th,  more  than 
200  porters  having  been  engaged,  the  expedition  set  sail  for  Bag- 
amoyo.  When  ready  to  start  for  the  interior,  the  expedition 
comprised  356  persons,  among  whom  were  thirty-six  women,  and 
when  they  marched  out  of  Bagamoyo,  on  the  17th  of  November, 
they  formed  a  line  half  a  mile  in  length.  Among  the  heaviest 
articles  was  a  boat,  named  "  Lady  Alice,"  forty  feet  long,  six 
feet  beam,  and  thirty  inches  deep.  Tt  was  made  in  twelve  sec- 
tions, and  afterward  cut  into  as  many  more,  to  facilitate  its 
transportation. 

DEATH    OF    EDWARD   POCOCK. 

NOTHING  out  of  the  usual  course  of  events  in  African  travel 
occurred  until  the  17th  of  January,  1875,  when  Edward  Pocock 
died  of  typhus  fever,  after  a  short  illness.  This  deplorable  event 
was  intensified  in  its  sadness  by  the  facts  connected  with  his 
enlistment.  Possessing  a  laudable  ambition  to  unite  his  name 
with  discoveries  that  would  benefit  mankind, he  hadleft  England 
with  a  mother's  blessing,  to  share  the  hardships  and  trials  of  the 


448  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS, 

expedition  across  the  Dark  Continent.  Although  in  the  wilds  of 
Africa  when  death  struck  him  down,  young  Pocock  had  a  Chris- 
tian burial,  and  a  brother  and  loving  companions  laid  their  trib- 
utes on  his  grave.  He  was  buried  by  the  foot  of  a  large  tree 
on  which  was  cut  the  emblem  of  his  faith,  a  cross,  and  there  he 
rests,  under  the  moving  shadows  of  the  swaying  branches. 

ON    THE    VICTORIA    LAKE. 

UPON  reaching  a  village  situated  nearly  midway  between  Baga- 
moyo  and  Ujiji,  Stanley  left  the  route  by  which  he  had  previously 
traveled  and  took  a  due  north  course,  by  which  he  reached  Vic- 
toria lake  on  the  28th  of  February.  The  camping-place  was  at 
a  village  called  Kagehyi,  where  provisions  were  plentiful  enough 
but  not  obtainable  except  at  a  high  price.  This  was  the  place 
where  Speke  first  viewed  the  lake,  and  his  stay  there  served  to 
give  the  natives  an  idea  of  values,  and  made  Stanley  a  victim  to 
their  extortions  ;  but  unpleasant  things  had  to  be  endured,  and  it 
was  important  that  the  friendship  of  Prince  Kaduma,  who  ruled 
that  country,  should  be  secured. 

On  the  second  day  after  the  arrival  the  Lady  Alice  was  pre- 
pared for  sea,  Stanley  being  determined  to  circumnavigate  the 
lake.  Kaduma  declared  the  lake  was  so  large  that  it  would 
require  years  to  cross  it,  while  along  its  northern  shores  lived 
tribes  so  ferocious  that  no  stranger  dared  approach  them  ;  some 
of  these  people  were  gifted  with  tails  ;  others  trained  enormous 
and  fierce  dogs,  while  others  preferred  human  flesh  to  all  other 
kinds  of  meat.  These  superstitious  fears  had  such  an  effect 
upon  Stanley's  men  that,  when  he  called  for  volunteers  to  accom- 
pany him  on  the  voyage,  not  a  single  one  came  forward.  Per- 
suasion being  of  no  avail,  he  was  compelled  to  conscript  ten  of 
the  young  guides  enlisted  at  Bagamoyo,  who  were  boatmen,  and 
on  the  8th  of  March  the  lake  voyage  was  begun.  Five  miles 
from  Kagehyi  they  came  to  tne  village  of  Igusa,  where,  by  offer* 
of  large  rewards,  a  fisherman  named  Saramba,  who  had  been 
much  on  the  lake,  was  engaged  as  guide. 

Interesting  sights  were  often  presented  to  view,  but  incident* 
of  adventure  were  few.  Hippopotimi,  crocodiles,  and  monitors 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


449 


were  abundant  along  the  shores.  This  latter  animal  is  a  species 
of  lizard,  which  accompanies  the  crocodile  and  gives  it  warning 
of  aproaching  danger.  In  this  respect  it  is  the  crocodile's 
friend,  but  this  friendship  is  an  interested  one,  for  it  subsists 
almost  exclusively  on  crocodile  eggs.  Stanley  shot  one  of  these 
singular  and  rare  animals  which  measured  seven  feet  in  length. 
On  the  21st  of  March  they  landed  at  an  island  having  some 
most  singular  wonders,  among  which  was  a  natural  bridge  of 
basaltic  rock,  which  formed  an  irregular  arch  about  twenty- 
four  feet  in  length  by  twelve  feet  in  depth,  under  which  they 


NATURAL-BRIDGE  ISLAND. 


were  able  to  pass  from  one  side  of  the  island  to  the  other. 
Another  island  near  it  contains  a  grotto,  like  that  in  which  the 
enchantress  Calypso  lived  ;  while  still  another  near  by  resembles 
the  Sphynxof  Egypt. 

ENCOUNTER   WITH    WILD    NATIVES. 

THE  shores  of  the  lake  were  thickly  populated,  there  being 
village  after  village  in  almost  unbroken  continuity.  Generally 
the  people  were  disposed  to  be  friendly,  but  occasional  hostile 
parties  were  encountered,  who  resisted  every  attempt  to  land 
among  them.  Upon  reaching  a  bay  that  lay  within  a  border  of 
a  plain  on  one  side,  and  u,  promontory  on  the  other,  in  the  extreme 
29 


450  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

northeast  corner  of  the  lake,  a  people  speaking  the  Usoga 
tongue  were  met,  who  were  very  kind  and  generous,  and  freely 
supplied  Stanley  with  sheep  and  vegetables  in  exchange  for  blue 
beads.  They  were  entirely  naked,  except  that  some  of  the  women 
wore  a  kirtle  of  green  banana  leaves,  which  afforded  barely  the 
covering  of  a  fig-leaf. 

About  five  hours  after  leaving  this  pleasant  people,  a  storm 
arose  so  fierce  as  to  compel  them  to  put  into  a  small  cove  in  an 
island.  Within  ten  minutes  after  coming  to  anchora  small  canoe, 
paddled  by  two  men,  approached  from  the  shore.  Stanley  hailed 
them  in  mild  tones,  but  nothing  would  induce  them  to  come 
nearer  than  one  hundred  yards.  Soon  after  another  canoe,  much 
larger  than  the  first,  containing  forty  men,  all  rowing,  came  up 
within  fifty  yards,  and  seizing  long  tufted  lances  and  shields 
began  swaying  them  in  a  menacing  manner.  Stanley's  men 
made  no  demonstrations  of  resistance,  while  the  hostile  canoe 
approached  within  twenty  yards,  when  the  savages  began  to  row 
in  a  circle  around  Stanley's  boat,  niaking  hostile  demonstrations. 
The  quiet  disposition  of  the  Lady  Alice's  crew  prompted 
the  natives  to  come  nearer  and  nearer,  until  the  two  boats  were 
brought  side  by  side.  The  paddlers,  half  of  whom  were  intoxi- 
cated, laid  their  hands  on  everything  within  reach,  not  even 
excepting  Stanley  himself,  whose  person  they  felt  with  some 
astonishment  but  no  less  rudeness.  This  familiarity,  which  none 
of  Stanley's  party  in  the  least  resented,  evidently  led  the  natives 
to  believe  that  they  had  inspired  the  wfiite  man  with  helpless 
terror.  Reeling  and  jostling  one  another  in  their  eagerness  to 
offend,  they  seized  their  spears  and  shields,  and  began  to  chant 
in  bacchanalian  tones  a  song  that  was  tipsily  discordant.  Some 
seized  their  slings  and  flung  stones  to  a  great  distance,  which 
Stanley  applauded.  Then  one  of  them,  under  the  influence  of  wine, 
and  his  spirits  elated  by  the  chant,  waxed  bolder,  and  looked 
as  though  he  would  aim  at  the  white  man,  seated  observant  but 
mute  in  the  stern  of  the  boat.  Stanley  made  a  motion  with  his 
haiul  as  though  deprecating  such  an  action.  The  sooty  villain 
seemed^  to  become  at  once  animated  by  hysteric  passion,  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  451 

whirled  a  stone  from  his  sling  close  over  Stanley's  head,  a  loud 
drunken  cheer  applauding  his  boldness. 

Perceiving  that  they  were  becoming  wanton  on  account  of  his 
inaction,  Stanley  seized  his  revolver  and  fired  rapidly  into  the 
water,  in  the  direction  the  stone  had  been  flung;  the  effect  was 
painfully  ludicrous.  The  bold,  insolent  bacchanals  at  the  first 
shot  had  sprung  overboard  and  were  swimming  for  dear  life, 
leaving  their  canoe  unmanned.  "Friends,  come  back,  come 
back;  why  this  fear?"  cried  out  the  interpreter;  "we  simply 
wished  to  show  you  that  we  had  weapons  as  well  as  yourselves. 
Come,  take  your  canoe  ;  see,  we  push  it  away  for  you  to  seize 
it."  The  savages  were  eventually  won  back  with  smiles.  They 
were  now  more  respectful  in  their  demeanor.  They  laughed, 
cried  out  admiringly,  and  imitated  the  pistol  shots,  "Bum, 
bum,  bum."  They  then  presented  Stanley  with  a  bunch  of 
bananas ! 

A  few  days  afterward,  when  moving  under  a  swift  breeze, 
Stanley's  boat  was  hailed  from  the  shore,  and,  the  natives 
appearing  friendly,  he  landed.  Immediately  they  were  attacked 
with  stones,  one  of  which  badly  wounded  the  steersman.  Upon 
beginning  the  attack  a  large  number  of  natives  ran  to  the  boat 
and  seized  the  oars,  while  others  began  rifling  the  bales  of  goods. 
It  was  time  for  quick  action  ;  Stanley  seized  his  gun  and  fired 
over  their  heads,  which  so  alarmed  them  that  they  ran  off  a 
little  distance,  but  began  throwing  their  spears  ;  a  few  shots  from 
a  large  rifle  doubled  up  a  half-dozen,  whereupon  they  ran  off. 
A  KING'S  INVITATION. 

ON  the  2d  of  April  the  party  proceeded  in  a  happy  mood  along 
the  beautiful  shore  until  the  village  of  Kerudo  was  reached, 
where  they  were  received  with  much  hospitality,  and  from  which 
place  the  Kabaka  (king)  of  Uganda  was  notified  by  messengers 
of  the  white  man's  approach. 

Just  as  Stanley  was  about  to  depart,  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, he  perceived  six  beautiful  canoes,  crowded  with  men,  all 
dressed  in  white,  approaching;  they  were  the  Kabaka's  people 
conveying  a  messenger  who  carried  an  invitation  from  the  king 


452  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

of  Uganda  to  Stanley,  begging  a  visit  from  him.  This  messen- 
ger was  gorgeously  arrayed  for  the  important  occasion  ;  he  wore 
ahead-worked  head-dress,  above  which  long  white  cock's  feathers 
waved,  and  a  snowy  white  and  long-haired  goat-skin,  intertwin- 
ed with  a  crimson  robe,  depending  from  his  shoulders,  com- 
pleted his  costume.  Approaching  Stanley,  he  delivered  his 
message  thus : 

"  The  Kabaka  sends  me  with  many  salaams  to  you.  He  is  in 
great  hopes  that  you  will  visit  him,  and  has  encamped  at  Usa- 
vara,  that  he  may  be  near  the  lake  when  you  come.  He  does  not 
know  from  what  land  you  have  come,  but  I  have  a  swift  messen- 
ger with  a  canoe  who  will  not  stop  until  he  gives  all  the  news  to 
the  Kabaka.  His  mother  dreamed  a  dream  a  few  nights  ago, 
and  in  her  dream  she  sa\r  a  white  man  on  this  lake  in  a  boat, 
coming  this  way,  and  the  next  morning  she  told  the  Kabaka,  and, 
lo !  you  have  come.  Give  me  your  answer,  that  I  may  send 
the  messenger.  Twiyanzi-yanzi-yanzi ! "  (Thanks,  thanks, 
thanks.) 

Thus  delivering  himself,  the  messenger,  whose  name  was  Ma- 
gassa,  implored  Stanley  to  remain  one  day  longer,  that  he 
might  show  him  the  hospitalities  of  his  country,  and  prepare 
him  for  a  grand  reception  by  the  king,  to  which  Stanley  con- 
sented. 

Magassa  was  in  his  glory  now.  His  voice  became  imperious  to 
his  escort  of  182  men  ;  even  the  feathers  of  his  curious  head- 
dress waved  prouder,  and  his  robe  had  a  sweeping  dignity 
worthy  of  a  Roman  emperor's.  Upon  landing,  Magassa's  stick 
was  employed  frequently.  The  sub-chief  of  Kadzi  was  com- 
pelled to  yield  implicit  obedience  to  his  viceregal  behests. 

**  Bring  out  bullocks,  sheep,  and  goats,  milk,  and  the  mellow- 
est of  your  choicest  bananas,  and  great  jars  of  maramba,  and  let 
the  white  man  and  his  boatmen  eat,  and  taste  of  the  hospitalities 
of  Uganda.  Shall  a  white  man  enter  the  Kabaka' s  presence  with 
an  empty  belly?  See  how  sallow  and  pinched  his  cheeks  are. 
We  want  to  see  whether  we  cannot  show  him  kindness  superior 
to  what  the  pagans  have  shown  him." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  453 

MTESA  WELCOMES  STANLEY. 

ON  the  following  day  Magassa,  in  his  superb  canoe,  led  the 
way,  with  Stanley  following.  When  about  two  miles  from.Usa- 
vara,  they  saw  what  they  estimated  to  be  thousands  of  people 
arranging  themselves  in  order  onji  gently  rising  ground.  When 
about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  Magassa  gave  the  order  to  signal 
the  advance  upon  it  with  fire-arms,  and  was  at  once  obeyed  by 
a  dozen  musketeers.  Half  a  mile  off  Stanley  saw  that  the  people 
on  the  shore  had  formed  themselves  into  two  dense  lines,  at  the 
ends  of  which  stood  several  finely  dressed  men,  arrayed  in  crim- 
son and  black  and  snowy  white.  As  they  neared  the  beach, 
volleys  of  musketry  burst  out  from  the  long  lines.  Magassa's 
canoes  steered  outward  to  right  and  left,  while  200  or  300  heavily 
loaded  guns  announced  to  all  around  that  the  white  man — whom 
Mtesa's  mother  had  dreamed  about — had  landed.  Numerous 
kettle  and  bass  drums  sounded  a  noisy  welcome,  and  fl;igs, 
banners,  and  bannerets  waved,  and  the  people  gave  a  great  shout. 
Very  much  amazed  at  all  this  ceremonious  and  pompous  greeting, 
Stanley  strode  up  toward  the  great  standard,  near  which  stood  a 
short  young  man,  dressed  in  a  crimson  robe  which  covered  an 
immaculately  white  dress  of  bleached  cotton,  before  whom 
Magassa,  who  had  hurried  ashore,  kneeled  reverently,  and  turn- 
ing to  the  visitor,  begged  him  to  understand  that  this  short  young 
man  was  the  Katekiro  (Prime  Minister.) 

A  dozen  well-dressed  officers  came  forward,  and  grasping 
Stanley's  hand,  welcomed  him  to  Uganda.  By  these  he  was 
conducted  to  a  court-yard,  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  grass- 
thatched  huts,  in  the  niidst  of  which  was  a  larger  house  where  he 
was  invited  to  make  his  quarters.  He  was  soon  besieged  by  all 
manner  of  questions  concerning  the  earth,  air, .and  the  heavens, 
which  he  apparently  answered  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  natives, 
for  they  went  immediately  to  the  king  (Mtesa)  and  told  him  the 
white  man  knew  everything  ;  at  this  his  Majesty  rubbed  his  hands 
as  though  he  had  just  come  into  possession  of  a  treasure,  and 
sent  fourteen  fat  oxen,  sixteen  goats  and  sheep,  a  hundred 
bunches  of  bananas,  three  dozen  fowls,  four  wooden  jars  of  milk, 


454 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


four  baskets  of  sweet  potatoes,  fifty  ears  of  green  Indian  corn,  a 
basket  of  rice,  twenty  fresh  eggs,  and  ten  pots  of  maramba 
wine.  Kauta,  Mtesa's  steward  or  butler,  at  the  head  of  the 
drovers  and  bearers  of  these  various  provisions,  fell  on  his  knees 
before  Stanley  and  said  : 

"  The  Kabaka  sends  salaams  unto  his  friend  who  has  traveled 
so  far  to  see  him.     The  Kabaka  cannot  see  the  face  of  his  friend 


MTESA  AND  HIS   PRINCIPAL  OFFICERS. 


until  he  has  eaten  and  is  satisfied.  The  Kabaka  has  sent  his 
slave  with  these  few  things  to  his  friend  that  he  may  eat,  and  at 
the  ninth  hour,  after  his  friend  has  rested,  the  Kabaka  will  send 
and  call  for  him  to  appear  at  the  burzah.  I  have  spoken.  Twi- 
yanzi-yanzi-yanzi !  " 

The  appointed  time  approached,  and  Stanley  was  prepared 
for  the  memorable  hour  when  lie  should  meet  th6  Foremost 
Man  of  Equatorial  Africa.  Two  o±  t^&  Kabaka' s  pages  came  to 


*THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  455 

announce  that  everything  was  ready.  Forthwith  issued  from 
the  court-yard  five  of  the  boat's  crew  on  each  side  of  Stanley, 
armed  with  Snider  rifles.  They  reached  a  short  broad  street,  at 
the  end  of  which  was  a  hurt.  Here  the  Kabaka  was  seated,  while 
a  multitude  of  chiefs,  Wakungu  (generals)  and  Watongoleh 
(colonels),  ranked  from  the  throne  in  two  opposing  kneeling  or 
seated  lines,  the  ends  being  closed  in  by  drummers,  guards, 
executioners,  pages,  etc.  As  they  approached  the  nearest  group 
it  opened  and  the  drummers  beat  mighty  sounds.  The  Foremost 
Man  of  Equatorial  Africa  arose  and  advanced,  and  all  the  kneel- 
ing and  seated  lines  arose — generals,  colonels,  chiefs,  cooks, 
butlers,  pages,  executioners,  etc. 

Mtesa  took  a  deliberate  view  of  Stanley,  as  if  studying  him, 
while  the  compliment  was  reciprocated,  since  the  latter  was  no 
less  interested  in  the  king.  After  the  audience  Stanley  repaired 
to  his  hut  and  wrote  the  following:  "As  I  had  read  Speke's 
book  for  the  sake  of  its  geographical  information,  I  retained 
but  a  dim  remembrance  of  his  description  of  his  life  in  Uganda. 
If  I  remember  rightly,  Speke  described  a  youthful  prince,  vain 
and  heartless,  a  wholesale  murderer  and  tyrant,  one  who  delighted 
in  fat  women.  Doubtless  he  described  what  he  saw,  but  it  is  far 
from  being  the  state  of  things  now.  Mtesa  has  impressed  me 
as  being  an  intelligent  and  distinguished  prince,  who,  if  aided  in 
time  by  virtuous  philanthropists,  will  do  more  for  Central  Africa 
than  fifty  years  of  Gospel  teaching,  unaided  by  such  authority, 
can  do.  I  think  I  see  in  him  the  light  that  shall  lighten  the 
darkness  of  this  benighted  region  ;  a  prince  well  worthy  the  most 
hearty  sympathies  that  Europe  can  give  him.  In  this  man  I  see 
the  possible  fruition  of  Livingstone's  hopes,  for  with  his  aid  the 
civilization  of  Equatorial  Africa  becomes  feasible.  I  remember 
the  ardor  and  love  which  animated  Livingstone  when  he  spoke  of 
Sekeletu ;  had  he  seen  Mtesa,  his  ardor  and  love  had  been  for 
him  tenfold,  and  his  pen  and  tongue  would  have  been  employed 
in  calling  all  good  men  to  assist  him." 

Five  days  later  Stanley  added  to  his  observations  the  following : 
"I  see  that  Mtesa  is  a  powerful  Emperor,  with  great  influence 


456  Tins  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

over  his  neighbors.  I  have  to-day  seen  the  turbulent  Manko- 
rongo,  king  of  Usui,  and  Mirambo,  that  terrible  phantom  who 
disturbs  men's  minds  in  Unyamwezi,  through  their  embassies, 
kneeling  and  tendering  their  tribute  -to  him.  I  saw  over  three 
thousand  soldiers  of  Mtesa  nearly  half  civilized.  I  saw  about  a 
hundred  chiefs  who  might  be  classed  in  the  same  scale  as  the  men 
of  Zanzibar  and  Oman,  clad  in  as  rich  robes,  and  armed  in  the 
same  fashion,  and  have  witnessed  with  astonishment  such  order 
and  law  as  is  obtainable  in  semi-civilized  countries.  All  this  is 
the  result  of  a  poor  Muslim's  labor;  his  name  is  Muley  bin 
Salim.  He  it  was  who  first  began  teaching  here  the  doctrines  of 
Islam.  False  and  contemptible  as  these  doctrines  are,  they  are 
preferable  to  the  ruthless  instincts  of  a  savage  despot,  whom 
Speke  and  Grant  left  wallowing  in  the  blood  of  women,  and  I 
honor  the  memory  of  Muley  bin  Salim — Muslim  and  slave-trader 
though  he  be — the  poor  priest  who  has  wrought  this  happy 
change.  With  a  strong  desire  to  improve  still  more  the  character 
of  Mtesa,  I  shall  begin  building  on  the  foundation  stones  laid  by 
Muley  bin  Salim.  •  I  shall  destroy  his  belief  in  Islam,  and  teach 
the  doctrines  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

HUMAN    SACRIFICES. 

COL.  LONG,  an  officer  of  the  Egyptian  army,  under  Gen.  Gor- 
don, had  visited  Mtesa  nearly  a  year  previous  to  Stanley's 
arrival,  and  he  describes  the  Emperor  as  exceedingly  fierce  and 
brutal ,  altogether  different  from  Stanley '  s  conceptions  of  the  great 
African  ruler.  Col.  Long  traveled  on  horseback  from  Gondo- 
koro  to  Mtesa's  capital,  and  as  the  horse  is  an  unknown  animal 
in  Central  Africa,  the  natives  at  first  supposed  that  the  gallant 
Colonel  and  his  steed  were  united  in  some  mysterious  manner, 
and  concluding  from  this  that  he  was  an  extraordinary  being  they 
gave  him  an  unusually  grand  reception.  Mtesa  ordered  thirty 
human  beings  to  be  slain  in  honor  of  his  visit,  the  victims 
being  selected  from  among  prisoners  captured  in  war.  Col. 
Long,  being  unaccompanied  except  by  a  few  native  servants,  did 
not  consider  it  prudent  to  interfere  with  the  shocking  ceremony, 
but  was  compelled  to  be  an  unwilling  witness  of  this  horrible 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


457 


brutality.  He  describes  the  executioners  as  exceedingly  ferocious 
in  dress  and  appearance,  with  a  wild  glare  of  brutality  in  their 
gleaming  eyes,  and  a  long  black  beard  proclaiming  them  of  other 


origin  than  the  Ugandi,  undoubtedly  Malay.  Their  dress  consists 
of  a  pantaloon  of  red  and  black  flannel,  bordered  with  black  ;  a 
tunic  of  red  flannel  with  black  stripes,  dolman-like  across  the 


458  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

breast,  from  which  hangs  a  fringe  of  peculiar  monkey  skin  j  a 
red  cloth  turban,  around  which  is  wound  in  tasteful  coils  a  finely 
plaited  rope-cord,  badge  and  instrument  of  their  deadly  office. 
These  monsters  surround  Mtesa  on  all  public  occasions,  and  at 
a  nod  from  their  master  they  rush  upon  their  victims  and  behead 
them  with  their  long  keen-bladed  knives. 

This  incident  is  so  utterly  at  variance  with  the  character  given 
to  Mtesa  by  Stanley  and  other  explorers,  that  it  seems  hardly 
worthy  of  credit ;  yet  it  will  be  remembered  that  Capt.  Speke, 
in  the  commencement  of  this  volume,  represents  the  great 
African  ruler  as  exceedingly  bloodthirsty  and  vain.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  he  is  a  man  of  varying  moods,  as  each  visitor  gives 
him  a  different  character.  He  has  also  been  improved  by 
intercourse  with  foreigners,  and  having  but  recently  embraced 
the  Muslim  faith,  he  was  on  his  best  behavior  when  Stanley  saw 
him. 

A    GRAND    REVIEW. 

ON  the  7th  of  April  Mtesa  invited  Stanley  to  witness  a  sham 
naval  battle,  between  forty  magnificent  canoes,  each  containing 
thirty  soldiers,  so  that  twelve  hundred  men  were  engaged.  The 
captain  of  each  canoe  was  dressed  in  a  white  cotton  shirt  and  a 
cloth  head-cover,  neatly  folded  turban-fashion,  while  the  admiral 
wore  over  his  shirt  a  crimson  jacket*  profusely  decorated  with 
gold  braid,  and  on  his  head  the  red  fez  of  Zanzibar.  Each  cap- 
tain, as  he  passed,  seized  shield  and  spear,  and,  with  the  bravado 
of  a  matador  addressing  the  Judge  of  the  Plaza  to  behold  his 
prowess,  went  through  the  performance  of  defense  and  attack 
by  water.  The  admiral  won  the  greatest  applause,  for  he  was 
the  Hector  of  the  fleet,  and  his  actions,  though  not  remarkably 
graceful,  were  certainly  remarkably  extravagant.  The  naval 
review  over,  Mtesa  commanded  one  of  the  captains  of  the  canoes 
to  try  and  discover  a  crocodile  or  a  hippopotamus.  After  fifteen 
minutes  he  returned  with  the  report  that  there  was  a  young  croc- 
odile asleep  on  a  rock  about  two  hundred  yards  away.  "  Now, 
Stamlee,"  said  Mtesa,  "  show  my  women  how  white  men  can 
shoot."  Stanley  fired  a  three-ounce  ball  with  such  admirable 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  459 

precision   that   the  head  of  the  crocodile  was  almost   severed, 
though  the  distance  was  full  fifty  yards. 

Mtesa  conceived  a  strong  affection  for  Stanley,  and  repeatedly 
invited  him  to  his  palace,  where  much  of  the  time  was  devoted 
to  a  discussion  of  religion,  and  so  earnestly  did  Stanley  relate 
the  story  of  Christ's  life  and  sufferings  that  he  won  the  king 
over  from  Mohammedanism  to  the  Christian  faith. 

ATTACKED  BY  THE  SAVAGES  OF  THE  LAKE. 

UPON  Stanley's  departure  for  his  camp  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Victoria  lake,  Mtesa  supplied  hirn  with  thirty  canoes 
and  a  large  force  of  men  under  the  leadership  of  Magassa,  but 
this  fellow,  who  had  been  promoted,  proved  to  be  an  obstinate, 
lazy,  and  most  unreliable  officer,  whom  Stanley  had  to  frequently 
scold  and  threaten,  and  finally  send  backto  Uganda.  The  escort 
of  thirty  canoes  did  not  accompany  him  more  than  fifty  miles, 
when  he  was  left  alone  again  to  complete  the  exploration  of  the 
lake. 

Nothing  occurred  to  arrest  their  progress  until  the  28th  of 
April,  when  hunger  induced  them  to  steer  for  an  island  in  quest 
of  food.  When  fifty  yards  from  shore,  a  gratt  number  of  natives 
rushed  down  the  slopes,  uttering  fierce  ejaculations  and  war  cries. 
As  this  was  a  common  circumstance,  Stanley  thought  but  little  of 
it,  having  no  doubt  that  the'  natives  would  be  speedily  reconciled 
by  the  payment  of  a  few  yards  of  cloth  and  strings  of  beads. 

As  the  boat  came  near  the  shore,  several  rushed  into  the  water 
and,  seizing  it,  dragged  it  about  twenty  yards  over  the  rocky 
beach,  high  and  dry.  Then  ensued  an  indescribable  scene ;  a 
thousand  black  devils,  armed  with  bows,  spears  and  knotty  war- 
clubs,  swarmed  around  the  boat,  with  threatening  gestures,  and 
yelling  like  demons.  Stanley  arose  to  confront  them,  with  a 
revolver  in  each  hand,  but  his  guides  restrained  him,  as  any 
resistance  would  have  only  invited  a  massacre.  At  length  an  old 
man,  who  was  a  leader  of  the  warlike  host,  was  somewhat  pla- 
cated by  a  liberal  present  of  beads  and  cloth,  and  through  his 
influence  the  crowd  was  drawn  off  a  little  way  for  a  council. 
Stanley  seized  this  opportunity  to  effect  his  escape  ;  he  ordered 


460  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

his  men  to  push  the  boat  again  into  the  water  with  all  possible 
speed.  This  scheme  succeeded  so  well  that  the  boat  was  out  in 
the  lake  before  the  natives  could  reach  the  water.  A  fight  now 
took  place  that  was  very  lively  for  a  time.  Stanley  fired  his 
Reilley  rifle  four  times  and  killed  five  men.  A  shot-gun  loaded 
with  buck-shot  was  brought  to  bear  on  them  next,  by  which 
several  more  were  slain.  This  served  to  stop  their  attempts  to 
reach  the  boat  by  wading,  but  others  quickly  manned  a  half-dozen 
canoes  and  shot  out  from  shore  to  continue  the  battle.  Two  of 
these  canoes  Stanley  sunk  with  the  shell-bullets  from  his  Reillev 
gun.  In  the  midst  of  the  fight  two  monster  hippopotami  were 
observed  advancing  with  wide-open  mouths  upon  the  Lady  Alice, 
their  anger  having  no  doubt  been  excited  by  the  booming  of  fire- 
arms. Stanley  shot  one  through  the  brain  when  it  was  hardly 
more  than  a  yard  distant,  and  so  badly  wounded  the  other  that  it 
sank  and  retreated.  The  result  of  these  two  shots  seemed  to 
produce  a  panic  among  the  natives,  for  they  immediately  relin- 
quished the  attack  and  the  canoes  were  put  back  to  shore  with 
great  energy.  It  was  a  narrow  escape. 

At  the  end  of  fiftv-seven  days  the  circumnavigation  of  Victoria 
N'yanza  was  completed,  the  distance  being  1,000  miles.  As  the 
boat  came  in  sight  of  the  camp  at  Kagehyi,  a  joyful  shout  was 
sent  up,  and  when  they  landed  Stanley  was  raised  upon  the 
shoulders  of  several  men  and  carried  triumphantly  around  the 
camp,  while  salutes  were  fired  from  all  the  muskets.  This  joyful 
return  was  sadly  marred,  however,  by  news  of  the  death  of 
Frederick  Barker,  who  had  died  twelve  days  before.  Six  other 
members  of  the  expedition  had  also  fallen  victims  to  dysentery 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  461 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LUKONGEH,    THE    KING. 

IT  was  Stanley's  intention  to  return  to  Mtesa's  with  his  expe- 
dition in  boats,  but  as  Magassa  had  deserted  him  with  the  canoes 
furnished  by  Mtesa,  he  was  compelled  to  look  elsewhere.  The 
chief  ol  the  village  where  his  camp  was  located  had  no  boats, 
but  ho  ,nformed  Stanley  that  he  could  obtain  all  the  canoes  he 
would  need  from  Lukongeh,  king  of  Ukerewe,  whose  capital  was 
about  fifty  miles  distant.  Accordingly,  on  May  29th,  Stanley 
set  out  for  Lukongeh's  palace,  where  he  arrived  on  the  evening 
of  the  31st,  but  found  the  king  indisposed,  his  Majesty  being  on 
a  royal  drun.k,  so  that  an  audience  could  not  be  had  until  the 
third  day  afterward.  Then  Stanley  showed  Lukongeh  the  pres- 
ents he  had  brought  for  him,  the  magnificence  of  which  so  aston- 
ished the  king  that  he  hastily  motioned  for  them  to  be  covered 
up  again,  lest  his  subjects  should  see  them  and  become  jealous. 
He  whispered  to  Stanley  that  he  would  come  to  his  hut  after  dark 
and  see  them  ;  and,  true  to  his  promise,  on  the  succeeding  night, 
accompanied  by  five  of  his  principal  chiefs,  he  made  his  appear- 
ance,, Stanley  presented  each  of  them  with  a  quantity  of  fine 
cloths,  beads,  wire,  two  rugs,  two  red  blankets,  and  some  copper 
ornaments.  His  munificence  pleased  them  amazingly,  and  in  the 
exuberance  of  his  feelings  Lukongeh  promised  Stanley  that  he 
should  have  all  the  canoes  he  wanted  ;  but  first  he  desired  to  sit 
by  the  fountain  of  wisdom,  which  he  considered  the  white  man 
to.be,  and  drink  great  draughts  of  learning.  To  this  end  he 
came  nearly  every  hour  to  talk  and  ask  questions,  by  which  Stan- 
ley perceived  that  the  king  would  prove  an  easy  subject  for  con- 
Version  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  gave  him  much  enlightenment. 

SOME    WONDERFUL    SUPERSTITIONS. 

THE  king  is  supposed,  by  his  subjects,  to  be  endowed  with 
supernatural  power,  and  Lukongeh  made  no  effort  to  lessen  this 
belief.  His  people  imagined  that  he  could  parch  the  land  with 


462  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

drought,  or  flood  it  with  rain  at  will.  Aware  of  the  value  of  a 
reputation  as  rain-maker,  he  was  ambitious  to  add  to  it  that  of 
"great  medicine  man,"  and  he  besought  Stanley  earnestly  to 
impart  to  him  some  of  the  grand  secrets  of  Europe — such  as  how 
to  transform  men  into  lions  and  leopards,  to  cause  the  rains  to 
fall  or  cease,  the  winds  to  blow,  to  give  fruitfulness  to  women 
and  virility  to  men.  Demands  of  this  character  are  frequently 
made  by  African  chiefs.  When  Stanley  declared  his  in  bility  to 
comply  with  his  requests,  he  whispered  to  his  chiefs : 

"  He  will  not  give  me  what  I  ask,  because  he  is  afraid  that  he 
will  not  get  the  canoes  ;  but  you  will  see  when  my  men  return 
from  Uganda  he  will  give  me  all  I  ask. 

The  custom  of  greeting  this  king  is  a  most  curious  one,  differ- 
ing from  any  observed  elsewhere  in  Africa.  His  people,  after 
advancing  close  to  him,  clap  their  hands  and  kneel' to  him.  If 
the  king  is  pleased,  he  reveals  his  pleasure  by  blowing  and  spit- 
ting into  their  hands,  with  which  they  affect  to  anoint  their  faces 
and  eyes.  They  seem  to  believe  that  the  king's  saliva  is  a  good 
thing  for  the  eyes. 

To  each  other  the  Wakerewe  kneel,  clap  hands,  and  cry, 
"Wache!  wache  !"  " Wache  sug!"  "  Mohoro  !"  "Eg  sura?" 
which,  translated,  signifies,  "Morning!  morning!"  "Good 
morning  !"  "A  good  day  !"  "  Are  you  well?" 

The  stories  current  in  this  country  about  the  witchcraft  prac- 
ticed by  the  people  of  Ukara  Island  prove  that  those  islanders 
have  been  at  pains  to  spread  abroad  a  good  reputation  for  them- 
selves, and,  aware  that  superstition  is  a  weakness  of  human 
nature,  have  sought  to  thrive  upon  it. 

One  of  the  king's  officers,  named  Khamis,  upon  oath  declared 
that  a  crocodile  once  lived  in  the  house  of  a  Ukara  chief,  which 
fed  from  his  hand,  and  was  as  docile  and  obedient  as  a  dog,  and 
as  intelligent  as  a  man.  Lukongeh  had  once  a  pretty  woman  in 
his  harem,  who  was  coveted  by  the  Ukara  chief,  but  the  latter 
could  devise  no  means  to  possess  her,  until  he  thought  of  his 
crocodile.  He  immediately  communicated  his  desire  to  the  rep- 
tile^ and  bade  him  lie  in  wait  in  the  rushes  near  Msossi  until  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDKRS.  4(33 

woman  approached  the  lake  to  bathe,  as  was  her  dally  custom, 
and  then  seize  and  convey  her  without  injury  across  the  eight 
mile  channel  to  Ukara.  The  next  day,  at  noon,  the  woman  was 
in  the  Ukara  chief's  house.  "Ask  Lukongeh,  and  he  will  confirm 
what  I  have  told  you,"  said  the  honest  Khamis. 

He  then  added,  "  Machunda,  Lukongeh's  father,  owned  a 
crocodile  that  stole  an  Arab's  wife  and  carried  her  across  the 
country  to  the  king's  house."  Kaduma  of  Kagehyi,  according 
to  Khamis,  possessed  a  hippopotamus  which  came  to  him  each 
morning,  for  a  long  period,  to  be  milked  ! 

Families  in  mourning  are  distinguished  by  bands  of  plantain 
leaf  around  their  heads,  and  by  a  sable  pigment  of  a  mixture  of 
pulverized  charcoal  and  butter.  The  clothing  of  men  and  women 
consists  of  half-dressed  ox-hides,  goat-skins,  a  cincture  of 
banana  leaves,  or  kirtles  of  a  coarsely-made  grass  cloth. 

On  the  7th  of  June  Stanley  obtained  twenty-seven  canoes  from 
the  king,  who  cautioned  him  particularly  against  allowing  any 
of  his  subjects  to  know  that  they  were  to  be  used  for  any  purpose 
except  to  convey  him  back  to  his  camp,  as  they  were  a  very 
suspicious  people  and  might  raise  a  disturbance.  In  the  canoes, 
accompanied  by  216  of  Lukongeh's  men,  Stanley  returned  to  his 
camp,  and  as  a  preliminary  to  securing  the  vessels  he  had  them 
hauled  about  two  hundred  yards  on  shore,  and  the  paddles  stored 
in  a  strong  house.  The  natives  were  not  long  in  discovering  that 
something  was  wrong  ;  they  then  raised  a  big  row  and  threatened 
bloodshed,  which  was  only  averted  by  a  strong  show  of  force 
backed  by  numerous  guns. 

A    FIERCE    BATTLE. 

HAVING  got  rid  of  the  dissatisfied  and  quarrelsome  Ukereweans 
by  intimidating  some  and  hiring  others,  Stanley  prepared  for 
the  lake  voyage  to  Uganda,  and  on  the  morning  of  June  20th 
embarked  his  entire  force  of  150  men,  women  and  children  in 
the  canoes  and  led  the  flotilla  with  the  Lady  Alice,  which  carried 
fifteen  persons  and  the  ammunition. 

Owing  to  the  very  bad  condition  of  the  canoes  five  of  them 
sunk  the  first  night  out,  and  several  persons  eume  .nea,r  being 


464  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

drowned  ;  but  other  canoes  were  secured  without  serious  delay. 
Stanley  stopped  at  Bumbireh  island  for  provisions ;  this  is  the 
place  where  he  so  narrowly  escaped  death  on  his  return  from 
Uganda ;  but  his  force  was  now  strong  enough  for  defensive 
purposes,  and  he  felt  secure.  On  the  evening  of  July  22d  several 
natives  appeared  in  canoes,  but  seeing  they  were  likely  to  meet  a 
dangerous  foe,  should  an  attack  be  made,  they  tried  to  hold  a 
parley,  at  which  they  insolently  declared  that,  although  they 
would  bring  some  food,  their  king  was  brave  and  powerful,  and 
was  disposed  to  fight  the  white  man. 

The  following  morning  another  canoe,  containing  fifteen  men, 
approached  in  a  bold,  defiant  manner.  Stanley  asked  their  crew 
if  they  brought  food  for  sale.  They  replied,  "No  ;  but  you  will 
get  food  in  plenty  by  and  by."  After  taking  a  searching  look  at 
the  camp  they  turned  away,  giving  expression  to  their  contempt 
by  a  method  which  obtains  all  round  the  Uvuma,  Uganda,  Uzon- 
gora,  and  Wakerewe  coasts,  viz.,  by  throwing  up  water  behind 
them  in  the  air  with  their  paddles,  which  is  as  well  understood  as 
the  American  youth's  gesture  of  placing  a  thumb  to  his  nose. 

Stanley  was  kept  in  close  quarters  for  several  days,  during 
which  time  Magassa,  who  had  been  sent  by  Mtesa  to  search  for 
him,  came  to  the  island  with  300  men.  These  recruits  were  of 
great  service  to  Stanley,  who  was  almost  at  the  mercy  of  3,000 
natives,  for  they  held  a  passage  which  he  was  compelled  to  go 
through  to  reach  Uganda.  Mustering  his  force,  which  now 
numbered  300  men,  all  told,  he  started  again.  At  the  narrow 
part  of  the  passage-way  thousands  of  natives  rushed  down  with 
spears,  bows  and  slings,  and  in  defiant  tones  hailed  the  white 
man.  As  the  canoes  came  near  the  shore,  arrows,  stones  and 
spears  began  to  fly,  in  answer  to  which  Stanley  opened  a  brisk 
fire  with  his  guns,  that  fairly  mowed  the  fierce  Bumbirehans  with 
swaths  of  flame,  and  put  them  to  route  so  completely  that  they 
gave  him  no  further  trouble. 

WAR    IN    AFRICA. 

THE  expedition  reached  Mtesa's  on  the  23d  of  August,  and 
the  king  received  Stanley  in  his  council  chamber  with  great 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


465 


ceremony  and  many  evidences  of  friendship.  Stanley  took 
this  occasion  to  inform  him  of  the  object  of  his  visit,  which 
was  to  procure  guides  and  an  escort  to  conduct  him  to  Albert 
Lake.  Mtesa  replied  that  he  was  now  engaged  in  a  war 
with  the  rebellious  people  of  Uvuma,  who  refused  to  pay 
their  tribute,  harassed  the  cost  of  Chagwe,  and  abducted  his 
people,  "  selling  them  afterward  for  a  few  bunches  of  bananas," 
and  that  it  was  not  customary  in  Uganda  to  permit  strangers  to 
proceed  on  their  journeys  while  the  Kabaka  was  engaged  in  war; 
but  as  soon  as  peace  should  be  obtained  he  would  send  a  chief 


MTESA'S  COUNCIL  CHAMBER 

with  an  army  to  give  him  safe  conduct  by  the  shortest  route  t& 
the  lake.  Being  assured  that  the  war  would  not  last  long,  Stan- 
ley resolved  to  stay  and  witness  it  as  a  novelty,  and  take  advan- 
tage of  the  time  to  acquire  information  about  the  country  and 
its  people. 

On  the  27th  of  August  Mtesa  struck  his  camp,  and  began  the 

march  to  Nakaranga,  a  point  of  land  lying  within  seven  hundred 

yards  of  the  island  of  Ingira,  which  had  been  chosen  by  the 

Wavuma  as  their  depot  and  stronghold.     He  had  collected  an 

3O 


466  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

army  numbering  150,000  warriors,  as  it  was  expected  that  he 
would  have  to  fight  the  rebellious  Wasoga  as  well  as  the  Wavuma. 
Besides  this  great  army  must  be  reckoned  nearly  50,000  women, 
and  about  as  many  children  and  slaves  of  both  sexes,  so  that  at 
a  rough  guess,  after  looking  at  all  the  camps  and  various  tribu- 
tary nations  which,  at  Mtesa's  command,  had  contributed  their 
quotas,  the  number  of  souls  in  Mtesa's  camp  must  have  been 
about  250,000. 

Stanley  had  the  pleasure  of  reviewing  this  immense  army  as  it 
was  put  in  motion  toward  the  battle-ground.  He  describes  the 
officers  and  troops  in  the  following  graphic  style  : 

"The  advance-guard  had  departed  too  early  for  me  to  see 
them,  but,  curious  to  see  the  main  body  of  this  great  army  pass, 
I  stationed  myself  at  an  early  hour  at  the  extreme  limit  of  the 
camp. 

"First  with  his  legion,  came  Mkwenda,  who  guards  the  fron- 
tier between  the  Katonga  valley  and  Willimiesi  against  the 
Wanyoro.  He  is  a  stout,  burly  young  man,  brave  as  a  lion, 
having  much  experience  of  wars,  and  cunning  and  adroit  in  their 
conduct,  accomplished  with  the  spear,  and  possessing,  besides, 
other  excellent  fighting  qualities.  I  noticed  that  the  Waganda 
chiefs,  though  Muslimized,  clung  to  their  war-paint  and  national 
charms,  for  each  warrior,  as  he  passed  by  on  the  trot,  was  most 
villainously,  bedaubed  with  ochre  and  pipe-clay.  The  force  under 
the  command  of  Mkwenda  might  be  roughly  numbered  at  30,000 
warriors  and  camp-followers,  and  though  the  path  was  a  mere 
goat-track,  the  rush  of  this  legion  on  the  half-trot  soon  crushed 
out  a  broad  avenue. 

"  The  old  general  Kangau,  who  defends  the  country  between 
Willimiesi  and  the  Victoria  Nile,  came  next  with  his  following, 
their  banners  flying,  drums  beating,  and  pipes  playing,  he  and 
his  warriors  stripped  for  action,  their  bodtes  and  faces  daubed 
with  white,  black,  and  ochreous  war-paint. 

"Next  came  a  rush  of  about  2,000  chosen  warriors,  all  tall 
men,  expert  with  spear  and  shield,  lithe  of  body  and  nimble  of 
foot,  shouting  as  they  trotted  past  their  war-cry  of  «  Kavya, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  467 

kavya '  (the  two  last  syllables  of  Mtesa's  title  when  young — 
Mukavya,  *  king'),  and  rattling  their  spears.  Behind  them,  at  a 
quick  march,  came  the  musket-armed  body-guard  of  the  Empe- 
ror, about  two  hundred  in  front,  a  hundred  on  either  side  of  the 
road,  enclosing  Mtesaand  his  Katekiro,  and  two  hundred  bring- 
ing up  the  rear,  with  their  drums  beating,  pipes  playing,  and 
standards  flying,  and  forming  quite  an  imposing  and  warlike 
procession. 

«'  Mtesa  marched  on  foot,  bare-headed,  and  clad  in  a  dress  of 
blue  checked  cloth,  with  a  black  belt  of  English  make  round  his 
waist,  and — like  the  Roman  emperors,  who,  when  returning  in 
triumph,  painted  their  faces  a  deep  vermillion — his  face  dyed  a 
bright  red.  The  Katekiro  preceded  him,  and  wore  a  dark-grey 
cashmere  coat.  I  think  this  arrangement  was  made  to  deceive 
any  assassin  who  might  be  lurking  in  the  bushes.  If  this  was 
the  case,  the  precaution  seemed  wholly  unnecessary,  as  the  march 
was  so  quick  that  nothing  but  a  gun  would  have  been  effective, 
and  the  Wavuma  and  Wasoga  have  no  such  weapons. 

"  After  Mtesa' s  body-guard  had  passed  by,  chief  after  chief , 
legion  after  legion,  followed,  each  distinguished  to  the  native  ear 
by  its  different  and  peculiar  drum-beat.  They  came  on  at  an 
extraordinary  pace,  more  like  warriors  hurrying  up  into  action 
than  on  the  march,  and  it  is  their  custom,  I  am  told,  to  move 
always  at  a  trot  when  on  an  enterprise  of  a  warlike  nature." 

The  war-cries  of  the  Waganda  begin  by  shouting  the  full  title 
of  their  respective  chiefs,  and  end  with  the  last  syllable,  thus  : 

1  Mukavya,  kavya,  kavya!" 

'  Ohamburango,  ango,  ango!" 

'  Mkwenda,  kwenda,  kwenda!" 

'  Sekibobo,  bobo,  bobo!" 

'  Kitunzi,  tunzi  tunzi!" 

This  perhaps  explains  why  Speke  spells  thanks  "N'yanzig," 
for  the  Waganda  return  thanks  by  first  saying,  "Twiyanzi-}?anzi- 
yanzi,"  and  this,  when  repeated  rapidly,  sounds  like  "N'yanzig." 
About  two  hours  after  the  main  body  began  its  march,  Kasuju, 
the  guardian  of  the  young  princes  and  Mtesa' s  women,  preceded 
by  a  thousand  spears  and  followed  by  a  similar  number,  trotted 


468  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

by.  The  women  numbered  about  5,000,  but  not  more  than  500 
svere  wives  of  the  king ;  the  others  were  for  the  duties  of  the 
nousehold. 

A    GRKAT    NAVAL    BATTLK. 

IN  Mtesa's  immense  army  there  were  but  few  warriors  who 
nad  ever  had  any  experience  on  water,  most  of  them  coming 
from  the  interior.  His  enemies,  on  the  contrary,  inhabited  large 
islands  in  Victoria  Lake,  which  were  natural  fortresses,  and  the 
warriors  were  in  their  element  when  fighting  on  water.  Their 
number  did  not  exceed  30,000  fighting  men,  but  nevertheless, 
they  presented  a  formidable  force  against  the  inexperienced  army 
sent  against  them.  To  add  to  his  disadvantage,  Mtesa  had  only 
300  canoes,  capable  of  carrying  less  than  900  men.  Many  of 
these  boats  were  70  feet  in  length  and  of  corresponding  breath 
and  depth,  but  they  were  badly  manned.  Upon  reaching  the 
lake,  the  boats  were  filled  with  soldiers  and  sent  across  to  make 
a  landing  on  the  island,  but  they  were  promptly  met  by  the  enemy 
and  in  the  skirmish  Mtesa's  men  were  defeated,  and  thirteen  of 
his  canoes  captured.  This  so  discouraged  him  that,  at  Stanley's 
suggestion,  he  tried  to  build  a  causeway  of  stones  and  trees  across 
the  500  yards  which  separated  the  island  from  the  main  shore, 
but  abandoned  it  after  130  yards  had  been  filled.  A  long  period 
of  inaction  now  ensued,  during  which  Stanley  taught  Mtesa  the 
principles  of  Christianity  and  had  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
New  Testament  translated  for  his  benefit. 

It  was  not  until  the  14th  of  September  that  Mtesa  renewed  the 
war,  having  found  agreeable  relaxation  from  offensive  prepara- 
tions in  the  pleasant  teachings  of  Stanley.  In  the  morning,  in 
accordance  with  Mtesa's  orders,  forty  Waganda  canoes  sallied 
out  from  the  beach  in  front  of  his  camps  to  Nakaranga  Point, 
where  they  formed  in  line  of  battle  before  the  causeway,  with  the 
sterns  of  their  canoes  fronting  Ingira  island. 

Mtesa  was  followed  by  about  three-fourths  of  his  army  when 
he  proceeded  to  the  point  to  view  the  battle,  and  with  him  went 
the  great  war-drums,  to  the  number  of  fifty  or  thereabouts,  and 
fifes  about  a  hundred,  and  a  great  number  of  men  shaking  gourds 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  4fi9 

filled  with  pebbles,  and  the  court-criers  and  mad-charmers  against 
evil  were  not  wanting  to  create  din  and  noise,  and  celebrate 
victory7. 

A  hut  of  ample  size  had  been  erected  on  the  mountain  slope 
overlooking  the  strait,  into  which  Mtesa  and  his  favorite  women 
retired.  When  the  Emperor  was  seated,  the  "prophets  of 
Baal,"  or  the  priests  and  priestesses  of  the  Muzimu,  or  witch- 
craft, came  up,  more  than  a  hundred  in  number,  and  offered  the 
charms  to  Mtesa  one  after  another  in  a  most  tedious,  ceremonious 
way,  and  to  all  of  them  Mtesa  condescended  to  point  his  imperial 
forefinger. 

The  chief  priest  was  a  most  wonderfully  dressed  madman.  On 
his  head  he  wore  a  huge  crown  of  feathers,  curiously  and  fan- 
tastically arranged  ;  in  his  ears  and  around  his  neck  were  hung 
long  strings  of  beads  ;  his  ankles,  wrists  and  arms  were  adorned 
with  brass  rings,  from  which  depended  bits  of  bone,  teeth  of 
animals,  and  other  charms  ;  around  his  loins  was  girded  a  leopard 
skin  with  the  tail  in  front,  while  in  his  right  hand  he  carried  a 
native  harp,  on  one  end  of  which  was  a  well-carved  imitation  of 
a  human  head.  This  fantastic  old  villain  was  a  rain-doctor  as 
well  as  a  priest,  and  exercised  a  wonderful  influence  over 
the  ignorant  savages  who  believed  in  his  supernatural  powers.  It 
is  customary  before  commencing  a  battle  to  carry  all  the  potent 
medicines  or  charms  of  Uganda  (thus  propitiating  the  dreadful 
Muzimu  or  evil  spirits)  to  the  monarch,  that  he  may  touch  or 
point  his  forefinger  at  them.  They  consist  of  dead  lizards,  bits 
of  wood,  hide,  nails  of  dead  people,  claws  of  animals,  and  beaks 
of  birds,  a  hideous  miscellany,  with  mysterious  compounds  of 
herbs  and  leaves  carefully  enclosed  in  vessels  ornamented  with 
varicolored  beads. 

During  the  battle  these  wizards  and  witches  chant  their  incan- 
tations, and  exhibit  their  medicines  on  high  before  the  foe,  while 
the  gourd-and-pebble  bearers  sound  a  hideous  alarum,  enough  to 
cause  the  nerves  of  any  man  except  an  African  to  relax  at  once. 

Mtesa  and  his  army  were  in  full  war-paint,  and  the  principal 
men  wore  splendid  leopard-skins  over  their  backs,  but  the  Wa- 


470 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


soga  bore  the  palm  for  splendor  of  dress  and  ornate  equipments. 
Ankori,    the   chief,   and    his  officers  were  wonderfully  gay. 

Snow-white  ostrich  plumes  decorated  their  heads,  and  lion  and 

leopard-skins  covered 
their  backs,  while  their 
loins  were  girded  with 
snow-white,  long-haired 
monkey  and  goat-skins ; 
even  the  staves  of  their 
lances  were  ornamented 
with  feathers  and  rings  of 
white  monkey-skin. 

The  fleet,  bearing 
Mtesa's  men,  numbering 
230  canoes,  moved  across 
the  water  again  ;  hardly  a 
Uvuma  (generally  written 
Wavuma)  was  to  be  seen 
and  only  the  prows  of  a 
few  of  their  boats  were 
visible  among  the  tall 
reeds  on  the  other  side. 
As  the  Waganda  (Mtesa's 
forces)  approached  near 
the  opposite  shore,  how- 
ever, 192  boats  shot  out 
from  among  the  reeds  and 
made  an  impetuous  dash 
upon  the  superior  force, 
and  drove  them  rapidly  to 
Nakarang  point,  where 
their  retreat  was  covered 

THE  HIGH  PRIEST. 

by  a  large  body  of  soldiers 

with  muskets  and  four  small  cannons.     Thus  the  second  attack 
terminated,  leaving  the  Wavuma  masters  of  the  situation. 
Mtesa  was   dreadfully   affected  by  this  second   defeat,  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  471 

calling  his  men  about  him,  he  berated  them  soundly  for  their 
cowardice,  reminding  them  that  everything  they  had  was  due  to 
his  generosity,  and  swearing  that  if  any  of  them  again  showed 
the  least  symptom  of  fear'he  would  roast  them  over  a  slow  fire. 

On  the  18th  the  battle  was  renewed  again.  The  Waganda 
manned  their  230  canoes  and  advanced  resolutely  toward  the 
island,  but  in  mid-channel  they  were  met  by  the  Wavuma  with 
196  canoes.  This  time  the  Waganda  carried  two  howitzers  with 
them,  each  in  a  large  canoe,  and  these  were  used  with  such  extra- 
ordinary effect  that  ten  canoes  were  sunk  and  the  Wavuma  were 
driven  back  in  confusion.  Instead  of  following  up  their  advan- 
tage by  charging  the  panic-stricken  Wavuma,  the  Waganda 
returned  to  the  shore  to  receive  the  congratulations  of  Mtesa. 

The  war  was  continued  in  a  desultory  manner  until  the  5th  of 
October,  when  Stanley  called  upon  Mtesa  and  said  :  "  Send  me 
2,000  men  and  to-morrow  I  will  begin  the  construction  of  such  a 
wonderful  war-boat  that  the  mere  appearance  of  it  will  bring  the 
Wavuma  quickly  to  terms  and  establish  peace  in  your  kingdom." 

This  proposition  gave  Mtesa  intense  delight,  for  he  had  begun 
to  entertain  grave  doubts  of  being  able  to  subjugate  the  brave 
rebels.  The  2,000  men  being  furnished,  Stanley  set  them  to 
cutting  trees  and  poles,  which  were  peeled  and  the  bark  used  for 
ropes.  He  lashed  three  canoes,  of  seventy  feet  length  and  six- 
and-a-half  feet  breadth,  four  feet  from  each  other.  Around  the 
edge  of  these  he  caused  a  stockade  to  be  made  of  strong  poles, 
set  in  upright,  ana  then  intertwined  with  smaller  poles  and  rope 
bark.  This  made  the  floating  stockade  seventy  feet  long  and 
twenty-seven  feet  wide,  and  so  strong  that  spears  could  not 
penetrate  it.  This  novel  craft  floated  with  much  grace,  and  as 
the  men  paddled  in  the  spaces  between  the  boats  they  could  not 
be  perceived  by  the  enemy,  who  thought  it  must  be  propelled 
by  some  supernatural  agency.  It  was  manned  by  two  hundred 
and  fourteen  persons,  and  moved  across  the  channel  like  a  thing 
of  life. 

As  this  terrible  monster  of  the  deep  approached  the  enemy, 
Stanley  caused  a  proclamation  to  be  made  to  them,  in  deep  and 


472 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


awful  tones,  that  if  they  did  not  surrender  at  once  their  whole 
island  would  be  blown  to  pieces.  The  stratagem  had  the  desired 
effect ;  the  Wavuma  were  terror-stricken  and  surrendered  uncon- 
ditionally. Two  hours  later  they  sent  a  canoe  and  fifty  men  with 
the  tribute  demanded.  Thus  ended  the  war,  on  the  13th  day  of 
October,  1875. 

DEPARTURE   FOR   THE    WEST. 

AT  a  levee  held  on  the  last  day  of  October,  Stanley  reminded 
Mtesa  of  his  promise  to  send  a  suitable  escort  to  conduct  him 
through  the  Unyoro  country  to  the  Muta  Nzige  Lake.  The 
king  not  only  renewed  his  promise,  but  immediately  sent  for 
Sambuzi,  one  of  his  leading  generals,  and  ordered  him  to  mustei 


STANLEY'S  DREADFUL  WAR  BOAT. 

a  thousand  men  at  once  for  the  service.  Preparations  were  made 
with  such  celerity  that  on  November  2d  the  expedition  moved 
toward  the  lake  which  Stanley  was  so  eager  to  explore.  The 
march  was  begun  with  a  total  force  of  2,800  souls,  2,300  of 
whom  were  Mtesa's  warriors,  but  at  the  first  intimation  of  dan- 
ger, in  a  threatened  attack  from  the  king  of  Uzimbaand  his  ally, 
the  king  of  TJnyarnpaka,  the  greater  portion  deserted,  including 
General  Sambuz%  who,  though  an  irrepressible  boaster,  was  also 
an  arrant  coward. 

Stanley  moved  his  force  with  but  little  opposition  through 
Unyoro,  being  attacked  only  once,  when  he  repulsed  the  enemy 
without  loss. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  473 

On  the  28th  of  February  Stanley  reached  Kafurro,  where  he 
remained  a  month,  the  guest  of  the  kind  old  king  Rumanika, 
who  was  a  giant  in  height  (six  feet  six  inches),  but  a  man  of 
great  benevolence  and  peacefully-disposed  nature ;  in  fact,  an 
African  gentleman. 

SOME    NATIVE    STORIES. 

OXE  day  after  leaving  Rumanika' s  country,  Stanley  shot  three 
rhinoceri,  from  the  bodies  of  which  he  obtained  ample  supplies 
of  meat  for  the  journey  through  the  wilderness  of  Uhimba.  One 
of  these  enormous  brutes  possessed  a  horn  2  feet  long,  with  a 
sharp  dagger-like  point,  and  below  that  a  stunted  horn,  9  inches 
in  length.  He  appeared  to  have  had  a  tussle  with  some  wild 
beast,  for  a  hand's  breadth  of  hide  was  torn  from  his  rump. 

The  natives  of  this  country  informed  Stanley,  with  the  utmost 
gravity,  that  the  elephant  maltreats  the  rhinoceros  frequently, 
because  of  the  jealousy  that  the  former  entertains  of  his  fiery 
cousin.  It  is  said  that  if  the  elephant  observes  the  excrement 
of  the  rhinoceros  unscattered,  he  waxes  furious,  and  proceeds 
instantly  in  search  of  the  criminal,  when  woe  befall  him  if  he  is 
sulky  and  disposed  to  battle  for  the  proud  privilege  of  leaving 
his  droppings  as  they  fall  !  The  elephant  in  that  case  breaks  off  a 
heavy  branch  of  a  tree,  or  uproots  a  stout  sapling  like  a  boat's 
mast,  and  belabors  the  unfortunate  beast  until  he  is  glad  to  save 
himself  by  hurried  flight.  For  this  reason,  the  natives  say,  the 
rhinoceros  always  turns  round  and  thoroughly  scatters  what  he 
has  dropped. 

Should  a  rhinceros  meet  an  elephant,  he  must  observe  the 
rule  of  the  road  and  walk  away,  for  the  latter  brooks  no  rivalry  ; 
but  the  former  is  sometimes  headstrong,  and  the  elephant  then 
dispatches  him  with  his  tusks  by  forcing  him  against  a  tree  and 
goring  him,  or  by  upsetting  him,  and  leisurely  crushing  him. 

MEETING   WITH    MIRAMBO,    THE    BANDIT    KING. 

ARRIVING  at  Serombo,  April  20th,  Stanley  learned  that  the 
great  Napoleonic  bandit  king,  Mirambo,  the  mighty  warrior  of 
Unyamwezi,  was  in  the  neighborhood  ;  this  report  greatly  fright- 
ened the  Waganda  soldiers  who  had  been  sent  with  Stanley  by 


474  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Mtesa,and  had  been  obedient  enough  to  remain  with  him.  They 
now  felt  more  disposed  than  ever  to  desert,  but  on  the  following 
day  their  fears  were  dissipated  by  a  friendly  message  from 
Mirambo.  His  ambassadors,  three  fine-looking  young  men, 
were  handsomely  dressed  in  fine  red  and  blue  cloth  coats,  and 
snowy  white  shirts,  with  ample  turbans  around  their  heads. 
They  were  confidential  captains  of  Mirambo's  body-guard. 

"Mirambo  sends  his  salaams  to  the  white  man,"  said  the 
principal  of  them.  "  He  hopes  the  white  man  is  friendly  to  him, 
and  that  he  does  not  share  the  prejudices  of  the  Arabs,  and 
believe  Mirambo  a  bad  man.  If  it  is  agreeable  to  the  white  man, 
he  will  send  words  of  peace  to  Mirambo  !" 

"Tell  Mirambo,"  replied  Stanley,  "  that  I  am  eager  to  see 
him,  and  would  be  glad  to  shake  hands  with  so  great  a  man,  and 
as  I  have  made  strong  friendship  with  Mtesa  and  Rumanika,  I 
shall  be  rejoiced  to  do  likewise  with  Mirambo.  Tell  him  I  hope 
he  will  come  and  see  me  as  soon  as  he  can." 

The  next  day  Mirambo,  having  dispatched  a  Ruga-Ruga  (one 
of  his  captains)  to  announce  his  coming,  appeared  with  about 
twenty  of  his  principal  men. 

Stanley  shook  hands  with  him  with  fervor,  which  drew  a  smile 
from  the  chief,  as  he  said,  «*  The  white  man  shakes  hands  like  a 
strong  friend." 

His  person  quite  captivated  Stanley,  for  he  was  a  thorough 
African  gentleman  in  appearance,  very  different  from  any  con- 
ception of  the  terrible  bandit  who  had  struck  his  telling  blows  at 
native  chiefs  and  Arabs  with  all  the  rapidity  of  a  Frederick  the 
Great  environed  by  foes. 

The  interview  was  of  the  most  friendly  character,  and  they 
parted  each  with  a  high  regard  for  the  other.  On  the  following 
day  Stanley  returned  the  visit,  and  the  ceremony  of  blood- 
brotherhood  was  performed. 

On  leaving  Serombo,  Mirambo  accompanied  Stanley  a  con- 
siderable distance  outside  the  village,  gave  him  several  presents, 
and  otherwise  showed  the  kind  and  friendly  feeling  which  he 
really  felt  for  the  white  man. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  475 

Such  excellent  progress  was  made,  that  on  May  2d  the  expedi- 
tion approached  Ubagwe,  which  is  the  capital  of  the  Watuta 
country.  This  tribe  is  composed  of  genuine  Ishmaels,  for  their 
hands  are  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  appears  to 
be  against  them.  The  Arabs  kill  "Watutas  as  they  do  snakes,  and 

c?  •/ 

it  may  be  also  said  that  the  Watutas  kill  Arabs  in  the  same  way. 
In  passing  through  the  country  of  this  ferocious  people  there  is 
need  for  coolness  and  bravery,  for  a  show  of  force  will  not  intim- 
idate thenio  They  cultivate  their  fields  with  spear  in  hand ,  alwavs 


WATUTA   WAR»IOR. 


prepared  to  fight.  Fortunately  Stanley  was  skilful  enough  to 
evade  their  village,  and  passed  through  the  country  undiscovered. 
On  the  27th  of  May  the  expedition  reached  Ujiji,  having 
skirted  Lake  Tanganika  from  the  northern  point  where  theRusizi 
river  empties  into  it.  No  great  changes  had  occurred,  except  the 
ever-changing  mud  tembes  of  the  Arabs.  The  square  or  plaza 
where  Stanley  met  Livingstone  in  November,  1871,  was  now 
occupied  by  large  tembes.  The  house  where  they  lived  had  long 
ago  been  burnt  down,  and  in  its  place  there  remained  only  a  few 
embers  and  a  hideous  void. 


476  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


CHAPTEE  XXVH. 

CIRCUMNAVIGATING   TANGANIKA    LAKE. 

STANLEY  was  sorely  disappointed  to  find  that  not  a  single  letter 
awaited  him  after  an  absence  of  seventeen  months.  Before 
leaving  Unyanyernbe  he  had  requested  the  Governor  to  forward 
all  his  mail  to  Ujiji,  but  this  he  had  neglected  to  do.  Eager  for 
the  news  which  he  knew  the  letters  must  contain,  he  dispatched 
ten  men  to  Unyanyembe,  but  they  never  returned. 

On  the  llth  of  June  he  launched  his  boat,  the  "Lady  Alice," 
on  the  beautiful  waters  of  Tanganika  lake,  with  the  intention  of 
circumnavigating  it  to  find  its  outlet.  He  also  secured  a  large 
canoe  to  carry  provisions,  and  started  southward  on  his  voyage 
of  exploration. 

At  Urimba  he  remained  two  days  on  the  same  spot  where  he 
and  Livingstone  had  camped  four  years  before. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  19th  they  came  in  sight  of  a  village 
called  Kiwesa,  which  occupied  a  position  on  the  apex  of  a  high 
hill.  Landing,  and  making  the  ascent  with  the  hope  of  pur- 
chasing milk,  they  were  astounded  to  find  a  population  of  dead 
men.  Some  ruthless  enemies  had  attacked  the  village  a  few  days 
before  and  massacred  it&  inhabitants,  regardless  of  sex  or  age; 
in  the  streets  were  seen  the  bodies  of  men,  women  and  children, 
recently  killed,  many  of  whom  were  horribly  mutilated  with 
knife  and  spear.  Not  a  living  thing,  save  one  black  cat,  was  to 
be  seen,  the  desolation  being  so  complete. 

THE    WABEMBE    CANNIBALS. 

CONTINUING  on,  nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  their  journey 
until  July  27th,  when,  coasting  along  Burton  gulf,  near  a  village 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Kasansagara  river,  they  were  warned  by 
the  people  against  landing.  These  were  the  Wabembe  cannibals 
On  nearing  the  shore  the  boats  were  attacked  by  the  cannibals, 
many  of  whom  hurled  heavy  stones,  while  others  showed  their 
defiance  by  striking  the  ground  with  their  spears,  hopping  up  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  477 

down  and  beating  the  water.  The  interpreter  explained  that  the 
white  man  was  very  much  shocked  at  such  rudeness,  that  his  visit 
was  a  peaceable  one,  with  no  other  desire  than  to  buy  grain  of 
them,  if  they  would  sell.  This  speech  did  not  mollify  their  anger, 
for  they  shouted  back  that  they  were  not  slaves  and  had  not  sown 
their  land  to  sell  the  grain  to  strangers.  Stanley  attempted  to 
proceed  quietly  out  of  their  reach,  but  several  canoes  were 
launched  and  filled  with  warriors  who  were  anxious  for  a  fight ; 
they  evidently  wanted  a  fresh  supply  of  human  meat,  and  desired 
particularly  to  sample  a  white  man.  A  brisk  breeze  was  blowing, 
which  enabled  Stanley  to  sail  away  from  his  pursuers,  while  his 
large  canoe  was  manned  by  such  excellent  boatmen  that  it 
bounded  over  the  water  with  equal  swiftness  away  from  the 
hungry  man-eaters. 

At  the  end  of  fifty-one  days  from  the  time  of  departure  from 
Ujiji,  Stanley  had  completed  the  circumnavigation  of  the  lake  and 
returned  to  his  old  camp.  He  found  the  extreme  length  of  the 
lake  to  be  810  miles  and  the  coast  line  930  ;  its  breadth  ranges 
from  ten  to  forty-five-miles,  with  an  average  of  twenty-eight 
miles,  making  its  superficial  area  9,240  miles.  Repeated  sound- 
ings with  a  plummet  line  of  over  1,200  feet  in  length  failed  to 
find  any  bottom  one  mile  from  shore. 

FACTS  ABOUT  LAKE  TANGANIKA. 

STANLEY  proved  by  his  careful  explorations  of  the  lake  that  it 
had  no  outlet  at  the  time  he  was  there.  The  body  of  water  had 
formerly  occupied  a  much  higher  altitude,  and  then  had  an  outlet 
through  the  Lukuga  river,  on  the  west  coast,  which  flowed  into 
the  Livingstone,  or  Congo  river;  but  an  earthquake,  or  some 
great  internal  disturbance,  at  some  remote  period,  had  sunk  the 
bed  of  the  lake  until  its  waters  fell  below  the  level  of  the  river, 
and  it  was  in  that  condition  when  first  discovered  by  Burton  and 
Speke.  Several  large  rivers,  however,  continued  to  pour  their 
waters  into  the  lake,  which  had  risen  to  such  an  extent  during 
the  interval  of  four  years  between  Stanley's  first  and  second 
expeditions,  as  to  cover  large  tracts  of  land  that  had  formerly 
lain  high  and  dry.  The  lake  had  gained  a  sufficient  altitude  in 


478  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

1875  to  again  extend  its  waters  into  the  dry  bed  of  the  Luktiga 
river,  and  Stanley  estimated  that  in  a  very  short  time  this  ancient 
outlet  would  once  more  resume  its  function,  and  become  arapidly 
flowing  affluent  of  the  Livingstone,  or  Congo.  These  facts  are 
interesting,  as  settling  beyond  dispute  the  sources  of  the  Nile. 
Stanley  circumnavigated  the  lake,  closely  examining  every  stream 
connected  with  it,  and  while  he  found  a  number  that  flowed  into 
it  from  various  directions,  there  were  none  flowing  out,  though,  as 
just  stated,  if  the  lake  continued  to  rise,  it  would  soon  find  an 
outlet  through  the  Lukuga  and  the  Livingstone,  thus  pouring  its 
waters  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  instead  of  the  Nile  and  the  Med- 
iterranean Sea,  as  Livingstone  and  others  had  supposed.  The 
question,  therefore,  of  the  Nile's  sources  is  definitely  settled  in 
favor  of  Speke  and  Sir  Samuel  Baker,  the  discoverers,  respect- 
ively, of  Lakes  Victoria  and  Albert. 

INTO  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  CANNIBALS. 

ON  returning  to  Ujiji  Stanley  found  Frank  Pocock,  who  had 
been  left  in  charge  of  the  expedition  during  his  absence,  pale 
and  haggard  from  a  long  spell  of  fever,  five  of  the  Wagwara 
soldiers  had  died  of  small-pox,  and  six  others  were  down  with 
the  dreadful  scourge,  which  was  also  decimating  the  population 
of  the  town.  Stanley  was  stricken  with  fever  the  day  after  his 
arrival,  but  was  again  on  his  feet  at  the  end  of  five  days.  He 
now  decided  to  cross  the  lake,  and  push  westward  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  so  announced  to  his  men.  This  created  a  panic 
among  them,  for  they  fully  believed  that  if  they  went  among 
the  cannibals  they  would  be  roasted  and  eaten.  Thirty-eight 
had  already  deserted  during  his  absence,  and  many  of  the  others 
now  threatened  to  do  likewise.  As  a  precaution  against  further 
desertions,  he  had  those  whom  he  suspected  of  being  untrust- 
worthy arrested  and  put  into  a  large  hut,  where  they  were  guarded 
until  he  was  ready  to  depart. 

Everything  at  last  being  ready,  they  crossed  the  lake  on  the 
25th  of  August,  and  after  a  necessary  halt  of  a  few  days  to  rest 
and  organize,  the  expedition  pushed  westward  through  the  wilder- 
ness toward  the  Mauyuema  country,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring 


THE   WORLD  8   WONDERS. 


479 


the  great  river  flowing  to  the  northwest  through  that  region, 
and  from  which  Livingstone  had  been  driven  back  by  the  war 
between  the  Arabs  and  natives  previous  to  his  meeting  with 
Stanley.  The  Manyuema  nation  is  composed  of  a  number  of 
tribes,  varying  greatly  in  disposition  and  general  appearance. 
Some  are  handsome  and  intelligent,  others  are  filthy,  ugly  and 
degraded  ;  but,  with  a  few  exceptions,  all  are  mild  and  gentle  in 
disposition,  although 
universally  addicted  to 
cannibalism.  Stan- 
ley's acquaintance  with 
them  commenced  at 
the  village  of  Lambo. 
"In  these  people," 
says  he,  "we  first  saw 
the  mild,  amiable,  un- 
sop histicated  inno- 
cence of  this  part  of 
Central  Africa,  and 
their  behavior  was  ex- 
actly the  reverse  of 
the  wild,  ferocious, 
cannibalistic  races  the 
Arabs  had 
to  us." 

In    passing 

the  country  they  came 
to  a  village  which 
consisted  of  a  number  of  low,  conical  grass  huts,  ranged 
round  a  circular  common,  in  the  centre  of  which  were  three 
or  four  fig-trees,  kept  for  the  double  purpose  of  supplying 
shade  to  the  community  and  bark-cloth  to  the  chief.  The  door- 
ways to  the  huts  were  very  low,  scarcely  thirty  inches  high.  On 
presenting  himself  inthe  common,  Stanley  attracted  out  of  doors 
the  owners  and  ordinary  inhabitants  of  each  hut,  until  he  found 
himself  the  centre  of  quite  a  promiscuous  population  of  naked 


races 
described 


through 


MILD  TYPES  OF  MANYUEMA. 


480  THE  WORLD'S  WOITPERS. 

men,  women,  children,  and  infants.  Though  he  had  appeared 
for  the  purpose  of  studying  these  people,  and  making  a  treaty  of 
friendship  with  the  chief,  the  villagers  seemed  to  think  he  had 
come  merely  to  make  a  free  exhibition  of  himself  as  some  natural 
monstrosity. 

Hundreds  of  people  of  the  most  degraded  and  unpresentable 
type  crowded  around  the  traveler  and  gazed  with  open  mouths  at 
his  wonderful  white  skin.  Turning  to  an  aged  savage,  whose 
amazed  countenance  was  pushed  close  to  his  face,  Stanley  said, 
"  My  brother,  sit  you  down  on  this  mat,  and  let  us  be  friendly 
and  sociable,'  at  the  same  time  thrusting  into  his  wide-open  hand 
a  number  of  beads,  the  currency  of  that  country.  As  Stanley 
looked  at  his  huge,  rough  hand,  he  imagined  that  he  could  carve 
a  more  comely  one  out  of  rhinoceros  hide.  The  thick  black  skin 
of  his  face  resembled  an  extravagant  mask,  and  his  nose  was  so 
flat  that  Stanley  asked  him  the  reason  for  such  a  feature.  "  Ah," 
said  he,  with  a  sly  laugh,  "  it  is  the  fault  of  my  mother,  who, 
when  I  was  young,  bound  me  too  tight  to  her  back." 

Descending  from  the  face,  which,  crude,  large-featured,  rough- 
hewn  as  it  was,  bore  witness  to  the  possession  of  much  sly  humor 
and  a  kindly  disposition,  Stanley's  eyes  fastened  on  his  naked 
body.  Through  the  ochreous  daubs  could  be  detected  strange 
freaks  of '  pricking,  circles  and  squares  and  crosses,  while  he 
traced  with  wonder  the  many  hard  lines  and  puckers  created  by 
age,  weather,  ill-usage,  and  rude  keeping. 

His  feet  were  monstrous  abortions,  with  soles  as  hard  as  hoofs, 
and  his  legs,  as  high  up  as  his  knees,  were  plastered  with  suc- 
cessive strata  of  dirt;  his  loin-cover,  or  the  queer  "girding- 
tackle,"  need  not  be  described.  It  was  absolutely  appalling  to 
good  taste,  and  the  most  ragged  British  beggar  or  Neapolitan 
lazzarone  is  sumptuously  clothed  in  comparison  to  this  African 
"  king."  The  subjects  of  this  mighty  monarch  wore  around  their 
waists  tags  of  monkey-skin,  bits  of  gorilla  bone,  goat  horns,  and 
shells,  while  around  their  necks  were  strung  skins  of  vipers,  and 
other  hideous  contrivances. 

As  they  gazed  and  crowded  and  jostled  one  another,  they  ex- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


481 


claimed,  " Wa-a-a-antu I ' *   ("Men!")  "Eha-a!  and  these  are 
men  !  " 
Presently  a  dead  silence  prevailed  for  an  instant,  during  which 


the  fnm/iles  of  this  strange  group  dropped  their  lower  jaws  far 
downt  and  then  cried  ont  again,  "Wa-a-a-a-a-antu  !"  ("Men  !"  ) 
Their  jaws  dropped  so  low  that  when,  in  a  posture  of  reflection, 
they  put  their  hands  up  to  their  chins,  it  really  looked  as  if  thej> 


31 


482  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

had  done  so  to  lift  the  jaws  up  to  their  proper  place  and  to  sus- 
tain them  there.  And  in  that  position  they  pondered  upon  the 
fact  that  there  were  men  "  white  all  over"  in  this  queer  world  ! 

The  uncontrollable,  irrepressible  wonder  of  the  juvenile  part 
of  the  population  seemed  to  find  its  natural  expression  in  hopping 
on  one  leg,  thrusting  their  right  thumbs  into  their  mouths  to 
repress  the  rising  scream,  and  slapping  the  hinder  side  of  the 
thighs  to  express  or  give  emphasis  to  what  was  speechless. 
While  thus  engaged,  one  of  these  restless  youths  stumbled  across 
a  long  heavy  pole  which  was  leaning  insecurely  against  one  of 
the  trees.  The  pole  fell,  striking  one  of  Stanley's  men  severely 
on  the  head.  All  at  once  there  went  up  from  the  women  a  gen- 
uine and  unaffected  cry  of  pity,  while  their  faces  expressed  a 
lively  sense  of  tender  sympathy  with  the  wounded  man,  showing 
through  the  disguise  of  tilth,  nakedness,  and  ochre,  the  human 
heart  beating  for  another's  suffering,  causing  Stanley  to  recog- 
nize and  hail  them,  though  poor  and  degraded,  as  indeed  sisters. 
The  women  tenderly  cared  for  the  man's  wounds,  and  before  the 
expedition  departed  from  the  village  the  chief  and  his  people 
loaded  the  men  with  bounties  of  bananas,  chickens,  Indian  corn, 
and  malafu  (palm-wine),  and  escorted  them  respectfully  far 
beyond  the  precincts  of  the  village  and  their  fields,  parting  at 
last  with  the  assurance  that,  should  they  ever  happen  to  return 
by  their  country,  they  would  endeavor  to  make  the  second  visit 
much  more  agreeable  than  the  first  had  been. 

The  Manyuema  have  several  very  noteworthy  pecularities. 
Their  weapons  are  a  short  sword  scabbarded  with  wood,  to  which 
is  hung  small  brass  and  iron  bells  ;  a  light,  beautifully  balanced 
spear — probably,  next  to  the  spear  of  Uganda,  the  most,  perfect 
in  the  world.  Their  shields  are  veritable  wooden  doors.  Their 
dress  consists  of  a  narrow  apron  of  antelope  skin  or  finely-made 
grass  cloth.  They  wear  knobs,  cones,  and  patches  of  mud 
attached  to  their  beards,  back  hair,  and  behind  the  ears.  The 
old  chief  had  rolled  his  beard  in  a  ball  of  dark  mud  ;  his  children 
wore  their  hair  in  braids  with  mud  fringes.  His  drummer  had  a 
great  crescent-shaped  patch  of  mud,  at  the  back  of  the  head.  At 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


483 


another  village,  the  natives  had  horns  and  cones  of  mud  on  the 
tops  of  their  heads.  Others,  more  ambitious,  covered  the  entire 
head  with  a  crown  of  mud. 

The  women,  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  hair,  manufacture 
it  with  a  stiffening  of  light  cane  into  a  bonnet-shaped  head  dress, 
allowing  the  back  hair  to  flow  down  to  the  waist  in  masses  of 
ringlets.  They  seem  to  do  all  the  work  of  life,  for  at  all  hours 
they  may  be  seen,  with  their  large  wicker  baskets  behind  them, 


LIP  RING   AND   PECULIAR   HAIR   DRESSING. 


setting  out  for  the  rivers  or  creeks  to  catch  fish,  or  returning 
with  their  fuel  baskets  strapped  on  across  their  foreheads. 

CANNIBALS    AND     DWARFS. 

SOME  tribes  of  the  Manyuema  are  addicted  to  cannibalism  ir, 
its  most  horrid  features.  They  carry  on  predatory  wars  against 
their  neighbors,  and  the  dead  bodies  of  the  slain  are  always 
eaten.  In  the  mad  frenzy  of  their  cannibalistic  propensities 
they  impale  tender  infants  on  their  horrid  spears,  and  tear  tht 
bodies  of  the  slain  limb  from  limb.  Even  the  women  take  a 
prominent  part  in  these  terrible  orgies. 


484  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Near  the  middle  of  October  Stanley  arrived  at  Mkwanga, 
which  is  only  eight  miles  from  the  confluence  of  the  Luama  and 
the  Lualaba  rivers,  the  latter  being  the  one  that  Stanley  intended 
to  explore.  While  encamped  here  two  Wangwana  arrived  with 
the  news  that  a  party  of  Arabs  were  encamped  at  a  village  called 
Mvvana  Mamba,  eighteen  miles  distant,  and  forthwith  Stanley 
decided  to  join  them,  which  he  did  on  the  following  day,  meet- 
ing with  a  very  cordial  welcome.  The  leader  of  the  Arabs, 
Tipo-Tib,  l:id  escorted  Lieutenant  Cameron  across  to  Lualaba 
river  and  as  far  as  Utotera,  south  latitude  5°  and  east  longitude 
25°  54'.  He  was  dressed  in  clothes  of  spotless  white,  his  waist 
was  encircled  by  a  .rich  dowle,  his  dagger  was  splendid  with  silver 
filigree,  and  his  head  was  adorned  by  a  beautiful  new  fez,  giving 
him  the  air  of  a  sultan  or  rich  Arab  gentleman. 

The  reader  will  remember  Livingstone's  painful  disappoint- 
ment at  being  unable  to  procure  canoes  from  the  Manyuema  in 
which  to  explore  the  Lualaba  river,  even  after  he  had  saved  many 
of  them  from  massacre  at  the  hands  of  the  blood-thirsty  Arabs. 
Stanley  anticipated  similar  trouble,  and  also  feared  that  he 
would  not  be  able  to  pass  through  their  country  with  his  small 
force.  He  therefore  made  the  Arab  leader  a  liberal  offer  to 
accompany  him  a  certain  distance  toward  the  north  with  his 
entire  company. 

THE    WONDERFUL    DWARFS. 

TiPO-TiB  listened  respectfully  to  Stanley's  proposition,  and 
then  called  in  one  of  his  officers  who  had  been  to  the  far  north 
along  the  river,  requesting  him  to  impart  such  information  as  he 
possessed  in  regard  to  the  people  inhabiting  the  country.  This 
man  told  a  marvelous  tale,  almost  rivaling  the  wonderful  crea- 
tions of  the  Arabian  Nights  ;  and  Stanley  subsequently  learned 
by  his  own  experience  that  much  of  the  st.ory  was  true. 

"The  great  river,"  said  he,  "  goes  always  toward  the  north, 
until  it  empties  into  the  sea.  We  first  reached  Uregga,  a  forest 
land,  where  there  is  nothing  but  woods,  and  woods,  and  woods, 
for  days  and  weeks  and 'months.  There  was  no  end  to  the 
woods.  In  a  month  wo  reached  Usongora  Meno,  and  here  we 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


485 


fought  day  after  day.  They  are  fearful  fellows  and  desperate  ; 
We  lost  many  men,  and  all  who  were  slain  were  eaten.  But  we 
were  brave,  and  pushed  on.  When  we  came  to  Kima-Kima  we 


heard  of  the  land  of  the  little  men,  where  a  tusk  of  ivory  could 
be  purchased  for  a  single  cowrie  (bead).  Nothing  now  could 
hold  us  back.  We  crossed  the  Lumami,  and  came  to  the  land  of 
the  Wakurna.  The  Wakuma  are  big  men  themselves,  but  among 


486  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

them  we  saw  some  of  the  dwarfs,  the  queerest  little  creatures 
alive,  just  a  yard  high,  with  long  beards  and  large  heads.  The 
dwarfs  seemed  to  be  plucky  little  devils,  and  asked  us  many 
questions  about  where  we  were  going  and  what  we  wanted.  They 
told  us  that  in  their  country  there  was  so  much  ivory  we  had  not 
enough  men  to  carry  it ;  « but  what  do  you  want  with  it,  do  you 
eat  it?'  said  they.  '  No,  we  make  charms  of  it,  and  will  give  you 
beads  to  show  us  the  way.'  '  Good,  come  along.' 

"  We  followed  the  little  devils  six  days,  when  we  came  to  their 
countrv,  and  they  stopped  and  said  we  could  go  no  further  until 
they  had  seen  their  king.  Then  they  left  us,  and  after  three  days 
they  came  back  and  took  us  to  their  village,  and  gave  us  a  house 
to  live  in.  Then  the  dwarfs  came  from  all  parts.  Oh  !  it  is  a 
big  country !  and  everybody  brought  ivory,  until  we  had  about 
four  hundred  tusks,  big  and  little,  as  much  as  we  could  carry. 
We  bought  it  with  copper,  beads,  and  cowries.  No  cloths,  for 
the  dwarfs  were  all  naked,  king  and  all.  We  did  not  starve  in 
the  dwarf  land  the  first  ten  days.  Bananas  as  long  as  my  arm, 
and  plantains  as  long  as  the  dwarfs  were  tall.  One  plantain  was 
sufficient  for  a  man  for  one  day. 

"When  we  had  sufficient  ivory  and  wanted  to  go,  the  little 
king  said  no  ;  *  this  is  my  country,  and  you  shall  not  go  until  I 
say.  You  must  buy  all  I  have  got ;  I  want  more  cowries  ;'  and 
he  ground  his  teeth  and  looked  just  like  a  wild  monkey.  We 
laughed  at  him,  for  he  was  very  funny,  but  he  would  not  let  us 
go.  Presently  we  heard  a  woman  scream,  and  rushing  out  of  our 
house,  we  saw  a  woman  running  with  a  dwarf's  arrow  in  her 
bosom.  Some  of  our  men  shouted,  'The  dwarfs  are  coming 
from  all  the  villages  in  great  numbers  ;  it  is  war — prepare  !'  We 
had  scarcely  got  our  guns  before  the  little  wretches  were  upon  us, 
shooting  their  arrows  in  clouds.  They  screamed  and  yelled  like 
monkeys.  Their  arrows  were  poisoned,  and  many  of  our  men 
who  were  hit,  died.  Our  captain  brandished  his  two-handed 
sword,  and  cleaved  them  as  you  would  cleave  a  banana.  The 
arrows  passed  through  his  shirt  in  many  places.  We  had  many 
good  fellows,  and  they  fought  well ;  but  it  was  of  no  uoe.  The 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  487 

dwarfs  were  firing  from  the  tops  of  the  trees  ;  they  crept  through 
the  tall  grass  close  up  to  us,  and  shot  their  arrows  in  our  faces. 
Then  some  hundred  of  us  cut  down  banana  trees,  tore  doors  out, 
and  houses  down,  and  formed  a  boma  at  each  end  of  the  street, 
and  then  we  were  a  little  better  off,  for  it  was  not  such  rapid, 
random  shooting ;  we  fired  more  deliberately,  and  after  several 
hours  drove  them  off. 

"But  they  soon  came  back  and  fought  us  all  that  night,  so 
that  we  could  get  no  water,  until  our  captain — oh  !  he  was  a  brave 
man,  he  was  a  lion  ! — held  up  a  shield  before  him,  and  looking 
around,  he  just  ran  straight  where  the  crowd  was  thickest ;  and 
he  seized  two  of  the  dwarfs,  and  we  who  followed  him  caught 
several  more,  for  they  would  not  run  away  until  they  saw  what 
our  design  was,  and  then  they  left  the  water  clear.  We  filled  our 
pots  and  carried  the  little  Shaitans  (devils)  into  the  boma;  and 
there  we  found  we  had  caught  the  king.  We  wanted  to  kill  him, 
but  our  captain  said  no,  kill  the  others  and  toss  their  heads  over 
the  wall ;  but  the  king  was  not  touched. 

"  Then  the  dwarfs  wanted  to  make  peace,  but  they  were  on  us 
again  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  their  arrows  sounded 
'twit,'  'twit,'  in  all  directions.  At  last  we  ran  away,  throwing 
down  everything  but  our  guns  and  swords.  But  many  of  our 
men  were  so  weak  by  hunger  and  thirst  that  they  burst  their 
hearts  running,  and  died.  Others  lying  down  to  rest  found  the 
little  devils  close  to  them  when  too  late,  and  were  killed.  Out 
of  our  great  number  of  people  only  thirty  returned  alive,  and  I 
am  one  of  them." 

Stanley  listened  with  rapt  attention  to  the  recital  of  this  won- 
derful story,  and  at  its  conclusion  he  said:  "Ah!  good.  Did 
you  see  anything  else  very  wonderful  on  your  journey?" 

"  Oh  yes  !  There  are  monstrous  large  boa-constrictors  in  the 
forest  of  Uregga,  suspended  by  their  tails  to  the  branches, 
waiting  for  the  passer-by  or  for  a  stray  antelope.  The  ants  in 
the  forest  are  not  to  be  despised.  You  cannot  travel  without 
your  body  being  covered  with  them,  when  they  sting  you  like 
wasps.  The  leopards  are  so  numerous  that  you  cannot  go  very 


488  THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 

far  without  seeing  one.  Almost  every  native  wears  a  leopard- 
skin  cap.  The  sokos  (gorillas)  are  in  the  woods,  and  woe  befall 
the  man  or  woman  met  alone  by  them  ;  for  they  run  up  to  you 
and  seize  your  hands,  and  bite  the  fingers  off  one  by  one,  and  as 
fast  as  they  bite  one  off,  they  spit  it  out.  The  Wasongora  Meno 
and  Waregga  are  cannibals,  and  unless  the  force  is  very  -strong, 
they  never  let  strangers  pass.  It  is  nothing  but  constant  fight- 
ing. Only  two  years  ago  a  party  armed  with  three  hundred  guns 
started  north  of  Usongora  Meno  ;  they  only  brought  sixty  guns 
back,  and  no  ivory.  If  one  tries  to  go  by  the  river,  there  are 
falls  after  falls,  which  carry  the  people  over  and  drown  them." 

These  were  sorry  stories  for  men  to  listen  to  who  were  then 
contemplating  a  trip  that  would  lead  them  directly  through  all 
these  dreadful  obstacles.  Stanley  knew  that  if  he  depended 
alone  on  his  own  force,  his  expedition  must  fail,  and  disaster 
would  no  doubt  follow  failure.  After  a  lengthy  interview  with 
Tipo-Tib,  a  contract  was  drawn  up  bet ween  them  by  which 
Stanley  agreed  to  pay  the  Arab  $5,000  for  an  escort  of  140  guns 
and  70  spearmen  a  distance  of  sixty  marches  of  four  hours  each, 
which  would  be  equivalent  to  nearly  500  miles.  This  force 
added  to  his  own  would  furnish  him  with  such  protection  as  was 
needed. 

The  expedition  now  marched  to  Nyangwe,  where  another  section 
of  the  Arab  party  was  encamped  ;  Tipo-Tib's  party  consisted  of 
700  persons  when  united.  Nyangwe  is  a  village  of  300  huts  and 
nearly  2,000  people  ;  it  is  a  great  market  for  slaves,  and  is  the 
westernmost  Arab  trading  station  on  the  road  from  the  east.  As 
the  village  is  situated  on  the  Lualaba  river,  Stanley  here  launched 
his  boat,  the  Lady  Alice,  to  make  soundings.  He  found  the 
river  studded  with  large  islands,  and  its  mean  depth,  taken  in 
thirty-six  soundings,  was  18  feet  nine  inches,  while  its  breadth 
w.'ts  from  4,000  to  5,000  yards,  making  it  one  of  the  greatest 
ri  vers  of  the  earth. 

AMONG   THE    CANNIBALS. 

ON  the  morning  of  November  5th,  1876,  the  combined  expedi- 
t  Vn  broke  camp  and  marched  out  of  Nyangwe.  Stanley  says ; 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

*'The  object  of  this  desperate  journey  is  to  flash  a  torch  of  light 
across  the  western  half  of  the  Dark  Continent.  For  from 
Nyangwe  east,  along  the  fourth  parallel  of  south  latitude,  are 
some  830  geographical  miles,  discovered,  explored,  and  surveyed, 
but  westward  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  along  the  same  latitude,  are 
956  miles — over  900  geographical  miles  of  which  are  absolutely 
unknown.  Instead,  however,  of  striking  directly  west,  we  are 
dbout  to  travel  north  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  to  prevent 
'.t  bending  easterly  to  Muta  Nzige,  or  Nilewards,  unkown  to  us, 
and  to  ascertain,  if  the  river  really  runs  westward,  what  affluents 
flow  to  it  from  the  east ;  and  to  deduce  from  their  size  and 
volume  °ome  idea  of  the  extent  of  country  which  they  drain,  and 
the  locality  of  their  sources." 

After  five  days'  marching  through  dense,  almost  impenetrable 
forests,  where  they  were  compelled  to  hew  their  way  with  axes 
step  by  step,  they  came  to  the  country  of  Uregga,  and  halted  to 
rest.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country  live  as  secluded  in  their  dark 
forests  as  the  chimpanzees  ;  but  they  provide  themselves  with 
comforts  unknown  to  other  African  tribes.  Their  houses,  in  the 
villages,  are  all  connected  together  in  one  block,  from  50  to  300 
yards  in  length -,  and  are  covered  with  a  kind  of  pitch.  They 
furnish  their  homes  with  many  luxuries  known  to  civilization, 
such  as  cane  settees,  beautifully  covered  stools,  sociable  benches, 
exquisitely  carved  spoons,  etc.  The  women  of  Uregga  wear 
only  aprons  4  inches  square,  of  bark  or  grass  cloth,  fastened  by 
cords  of  palm  fibre.  The  men  wear  skins  of  civet,  or  monkey, 
in  front  and  rear,  the  tails  downward.  It  may  have  been  from 
a  hasty  glance  of  a  rapidly  disappearing  form  of  one  of  these 
people  in  the  wild  woods  that  native  travelers  in  the  lake  regions 
felt  persuaded  that  they  had  seen  "  men  with  tails." 

At  Wane-Kirumbu  the  Waregga  were  engaged  chiefly  in  «*,„- 
working,  in  which  they  seem  to  be  very  expert,  making  hammers, 
axes,  hatchets,  spears,  knives,  swords,  wire,  iron-balls  with 
spikes,  leglets,  armlets,  and  iron  beads.  At  every  village  there 
was  q.  furnace  in  full  blast,  charcoal  being  the  fuel  used. 


490 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


A   VILLAGE    OF    SKULLS. 


KAMPUNZEE  is  a  village  about  five  hundred  yards  in  length , 
formed  of  one  street  thirty  feet  wide,  flanked  by  a  row  of  gabel 
roofed  but  low  houses.  Stanley  was  astonished  to  see  in  this  village 
two  rows  of  what  appeared  to  be  human  skulls,  placed  about  ten 
feet  apart  and  Fanning  the  entire  length  of  the  street.  He  counted 
186  of  them.  Addressing  the  chief  of  the  village,  he  said  : 


NATIVE  BLACKSMITHS. 

"  My  friend,  what  are  those  things  with  which  you  adorn  the 
streets  of  your  village?  " 

He  replied,  "Nyama,"  (meat). 

"  Nyama  I  Nyama  of  what?  " 

"  Nyama  of  the  forest." 

"  Of  the  forest  1  What  kind  of  a  thing  is  this  Nyama  of  the 
forest?" 

"  It  is  about  the  size  of  this  boy,"  pointing  to  Mabruki, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  491 

who  was  4  feet  10  inches  in  height.  "  He  walks  like  a  man,  and 
goes  about  vrith  a  stick,  with  which  he  beats  the  trees  in  the 
forest,  and  makes  hideous  noises.  The  Nyama  eat  our  bananas, 
and  we  hunt  them,  kill  them,  and  eat  them." 

The  animal  thus  described  by  the  chief  is  the  soko,  or  gorilla  ; 
but  with  his  utmost  efforts  Stanley  was  never  able  to  secure  one, 
or  even  to  see  any  indications  of  them  in  the  woods.  He 
therefore  concluded  that  the  horrible  relics  along  the  street  were 
human  skulls,  and  procuring  several  of  them  he  took  them  with 
him  and  had  them  examined  by  the  distinguished  scientist,  Prof. 
Huxley,  after  his  return  to  England.  He  confirmed  Stanley's 
suspicions,  by  pronouncing  them  skulls  of  human  beings,  and 
stated  that  more  than  half  of  those  examined  by  him  bore  marks 
of  a  hatchet  which  had  been  driven  into  the  head  while  the 
victims  were  alive. 

On  the  19th  a  march  of  five  miles  through  the  forest  west  from 
Kampunzu  brought  the  expedition  to  the  Lualaba,  in  south  lati- 
tude 3°  35',  just  forty-one  geographical  miles  north  of  the  Arab 
depot  Myangvve.  An  afternoon  observation  for  longitude  showed 
east  longitude  25°  49'.  The  name  Lualaba  terminates  here. 
Thenceforth  Stanley  speaks  of  it  as  the  Livingstone  river,  which 
name  he  gave  it. 

Arrangements  were  made  to  cross  the  river  by  launching  the 
Lady  Alice  and  calling  upon  the  people  of  a  small  village  on  the 
opposite  shore  for  assistance  with  their  canoes.  After  a  long 
talk  and  the  giving  of  many  presents,  canoes  were  furnished  to 
cross  the  caravan,  but  scarcely  had  they  landed  when  an  attack 
was  made  upon  them  by  a  thousand  or  more  natives,  who,  how- 
ever, were  soon  driven  off.  They  were  now  in  the  Ukusee 
country,  among  savages  whose  lives  were  apparently  devoted  to 
slaughter,  and  whose  choice  meat  was  human  flesh.  Each  village 
street  was  ornamented  with  two  rows  of  bleached  trophies  of 
eaten  humanity,  forming  a  ghastly  imitation  of  shell  decorations 
along  the  paths  of  our  parks  and  gardens. 

A  sufficient  number  of  canoes  having  been  secured,  Stanley 
embarked  his  expedition,  with  the  intention  of  completing  his 


492  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

explorations  by  following  the  course  of  the  river,  no  matter 
where  it  might  lead  him.  Besides,  they  were  safer  on  the  river 
than  on  the  land,  as  they  could  keep  beyond  the  range  of  the 
arrows  of  the  venomous  cannibals  through  whose  country  they 
were  passing,  and  avoid  ambushes  and  sudden  surprises. 

As  they  floated  down  with  the  current,  from  the  villages  below 
rang  out  the  strange  war-cries,  "  Ooh-hu-hu  !  Ooh-hu-hu  !"  and 
the  savages  decamped  into  the  bush,  leaving  everything  they 
possessed  in  situ.  This  was  only  to  lure  the  travelers  to  their 
destruction,  for  had  they  been  tempted  to  land  and  capture  their 
goats  and  black  pigs,  they  would  no  doubt  have  rushed  from  the 
bushes  on  the  unwary.  But  they  were  not  to  be  thus  tempted  to 
felony  and  destruction,  and  quietly  floated  down  past  them. 

One  day,  while  stealthily  passing  a  large  and  apparently 
wealthy  village,  a  little  child,  coming  down  the  high  banks  to 
fetch  water,  suddenly  lifting  her  head,  saw  them  close  to  the 
landing,  and  screamed  out,  "  Mama,  the  Wasambye  !  the  Wasain- 
bye  are  coming!" 

The  Wasambye  are  a  tribe  with  whom  these  people  were  at 
war,  and  the  child  mistook  the  travelers  for  an  attacking  party 
of  their  dreaded  enemies.  The"  people  who,  it  seemed,  were 
holding  a  market-,  scattered  immediately,  the  women  screaming, 
"Wasambye!  Wasambye!"  and  the  banana  stalks  and  bushes 
shaking  violently  as  everybody  in  a  panic  flew  into  the  jungle, 
like  a  herd  of  wild  buffaloes. 

They  passed  three  or  four  other  villages  near  there,  but  the 
inhabitants  simply  responded  to  their  attempts  at  intercourse  by 
protruding  their  heads  from  the  bushes  and  shouting  "  Ooh-hu- 
hu  !  Ooh-hu-hu!  Ooh-hu-hu!" 

Stanley  relates  the  remarkable  fact  that  among  many  of  the 
tribes  in  this  part  of  Africa  the  rite  of  circumcision  is  practiced 
in  the  same  manner  that  it  was  among  the  ancient  Israelites,  and 
apparently  as  a  similar  religious  rite  ;  but  he  could  not  ascertain 
how  the  ceremony  originated.  Those  who  performed  it  only 
knew  that  it  had  always  been  so.  The  circumcised  tribes,  like 
the  Israelites,  were  "a  peculiar  people,"  having  but  little 


THE   WOULD  8   WONDERS  „ 


493 


intercourse  with  their  neighbors  ;  in  fact,  a  perpetual  war  seemed 
to  be  raging  between  them  and  the  other  tribes. 

On  November  26th  they  reached  the  viliage  of  Naknrpemba, 
which  presented  the  usual  horrible  picture  of  streets  lined  with 
human  skulls,  the  dread  relics  of  many  a  feast ;  throughout  this 
barbaric  country  human  flesh  seemed  to  be  a  common  dish  at 
nearly  every  man's  table. 

The  numerous  rapids  encountered  in  this  part  of  the  river 
added  greatly  to  the  dangers  and  trials  of  the  voyage.  On 
approaching  the  rapids  they  were  compelled  to  land  and  carry 


DRAGGING  THE  BOATS  AROUND  THE   RAPIDS. 

the  boats  around  them,  frequently  for  a  distance  of  several  miles, 
over  rock/  hills  and  through  thick  brush,  in  which  excessive  and 
exhaust5"  ,w»  the  men  suffered  greatly.  Small-pox  and 
dysen.ory  vere  also  thinning  their  ranks,  and  the  outlook  for  the 
future  was  anything  but  promising. 

CAPTURE    OF    A    DWARF. 

"ABOUT  noon  one  day,  while  they  were  on  shore  repairing  a 
vanoe,  a  curious  little  savage  was  found  concealed  in  the  bushes, 
and  was  captured  and  brougi^  to  camp.  He  was  armed  with  a 
small  bow  and  a  quiver  of  miniature  arrows,  the  points  of  the 
latter  being  carefully  rolled  in  leaves.  This  led  to  a  suspicion 
that  they  were  poisoned,  and  in  order  to  verify  his  belief,  Stanley 


494  THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 

uncovered  one  of  the  points,  and  grasping  the  little  savage's  arm 
pretended  to  be  about  to  inoculate  him  with  the  dark  substance 
that  stained  the  point  of  the  weapon,  and  which  had  an  odor 
resembling  that  of  cantharides.  His  loud  screams,  visible  terror, 
and  cries  of  "  Mabi !  mabi !"  (Bad!  Bad!)  with  a  persuasive 
eloquence  of  gesture,  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the 
dark  substance. 

This  strange  creature  stood,  when  measured,  four  feet  six-and- 
a-half  inches  in  height,  and  proved  to  be  fully  a  head  taller  than 
the  average  of  his  people.  His  head  wras  large,  his  face  decked 
with  a  scraggy  fringe  of  whiskers,  and  his  complexion  light 
chocolate.  He  was  exceedingly  bow-legged  and  thin-shanked, 
and  was  altogether  a  hideous  looking  fiend  and  ugly  little  savage 
brute,  and  as  to  intelligence  very  little  above  the  beasts  of  the 
forest.  Stanley  retained  him  as  a  prisoner  and  guide  for  several 
days,  but  finally  dismissed  him  and  sent  him  home  with  a  handful 
of  beads  and  shells  and  some  bead  necklaces.  He  had  expected 
to  be  eaten,  according  to  the  custom  of  his  country,  and  though 
his  captors  shook  hands  with  him  at  parting,  and  smiled,  and 
patted  him  on  the  shoulder,  he  could  not  comprehend  why  he 
had  not  furnished  a  feast  for  them,  and  evidently  did  not  feel 
safe  until  he  had  plunged  out  of  sight  in  his  native  woods. 

INTO   THE    UNKNOWN. 

ON  the  26th  of  December,  Tipo-Tib  and  his  Arabs  bade  fare- 
well to  Stanley,  and  started  on  their  return.  They  had  not  fully 
kept  their  contract,  but  their  excessive  fear  or  ^  ~  eunnibals  and 
the  dwarfs  was  having  a  bad  effect  on  Stanley's  ir^n,  and 
he  decided  to  let  them  go  ;  so,  after  a  grand  banquet  in  the 
wilderness,  they  snook  hands  and  parted.  At  this  time  Stanley 
was.  not. sure  whether  the  stream  that  he  was  following  would 
empty  into  the  Niger  or  the  Congo*  as  everything  in  advance  of 
him  was  unknown  and  doubtful ;  but  he  determined  to  proceed 
and  let  the  future  take  care  of  itself.  His  force  now  consisted 
of  149  persons  in  23  boats,  and  on  the  departure  of  the  Arabs, 
they  embarked  and  commenced  their  long  and  dangerous  drift 
toward  the  unkn«w«, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  495 

Standing  up  in  his  boat,  Stanley  surveyed  his  people.  How 
few  they  appeared  to  dare  the  region  of  fable  and  darkness  ! 
They  were  nearly  all  sobbing.  They  were  leaning  forward, 
bowed,  as  it  seemed,  with  grief  and  heavy  hearts.  He  spoke  to 
them  words  of  encouragement ;  told  them  of  their  past  brave 
deeds,  and  exhorted  them  to  be  men.  But  it  was  with  wan  smiles 
that  they  responded  to  his  words,  and  feebly  they  paddled  down 
the  dark-brown  current.  Poor  fellows  !  Many  of  them  were 
indeed  going  into  the  land  of  the  Unknown. 

CANNIBALS    AGAIN. 

THE  river  soon  assumed  a  breadth  of  1,800  yards,  and  the 
banks  were  thickly  populated.  Directly  the  great  war-drums, 
hollowed  out  of  huge  trees,  thundered  the  signal  along  the  shores, 
and  they  could  see  the  savage  cannibals  rushing  to  arms  and 
leaping  and  gesticulating  in  their  frenzied  war-dances.  Presently 
a  canoe  dashed  out  from  the  shore,  filled  with  warriors  armed 
with  broad  black  wooden  shields  and  long  spears.  As  they 
approached,  Stanley's  interpreter  cried  out,  "  Sennenneh  !'' 
(peace  !),  but  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  peaceful  overture. 
Dashing  up  near  Stanley's  boat,  they  ordered  him,  in  peremptory 
tones,  to  go  back  with  them. 

"  It  is  the  river  that  takes  us  down,"  said  he  ;  "  the  river  will 
not  stop  and  go  back." 

"  If  you  don't  go  back  we  will  fight  you,"  they  exclaimed. 

"  No  ;  let  us  be  friends." 

"  We  don't  want  you  for  friends  ;  we  will  eat  you." 

But  as  they  talked  and  gazed  at  the  wonderful  white  man,  the 
current  carried  them  far  beyond  their  village,  seeing  which,  they 
nervously  turned  and  paddled'  back. 

At  the  next  village,  as  soon  as  the  boats  approached  within 
fifty  yards  of  the  bank,  the  savages  threw  their  spears,  and  cried 
out,  "Meat!  meat!  Ah!  ha!  We  shall  have  plenty  of  meat! 
Bo-bo-bo-bo,  Bo-bo-bo-bo-o-»  !" 

"  For  these  people,"  says  Stanley,  "we  had  no  anger.  It 
seemed  so  absurd  to  be  angry  with  people  who  looked  upon  one 
only  as  an  epicure  would  regard  a  fat  ox,  Sometimes  a^sp  U 


496 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


faint  suspicion  came  to  my  mind  that  this  was  all  but  a  part  of  a 
hideous  dream.  "Why  was  it  that  I  should  be  haunted  with  the 
idea  that  there  were  human  beings  who  regarded  me  and  my 
friends  only  in  the  light  of  meat?  Meat !  We  ?  Heavens  !  what 
an  atrocious  idea. 


"There  was  a  fat-bodied  wretch  in  a  canoe,  whom  I  allowed 
to'crawl  within  spear-throw  of  me;  who,  while  he  swayed  tin- 
spear  with  a  vigor  fur  from  assuring  to  one  who  stood  within 
reach  of  it,  leered  with  such  a  clever  hideousness  of  feature  that 
J  felt,  if  only  within  arm's  length  of  him,  I  could  have  bestowed 
upon  him  a  hearty  thump  on  the  back,  and  cried  out  applaud- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  497 

ingly,  '  Bravo,  old  boy  !  You  do  it  capitally  !'  Yet  not  being 
able  to  reach  him,  I  was  rapidly  being  fascinated  by  him.  The 
rapid  movements  of  the  swaying  spear,  the  steady  wide-mouthed 
grin,  the  big  square  teeth,  the  head  poised  on  one  side  with  the 
confident  pose  of  a  practiced  spear-thrower,  the  short  brow  and 
square  face,  hair  short  and  thick.  Shall  I  ever  forget  him?  It 
appeared  to  me  as  if  the  spear  partook  of  the  same  cruel,  inexor- 
ble  look  as  the  grinning  savage." 

But  the  spell  was  soon  broken,  for  the  savage  hurled  his  spear 
with  all  his  force  and  it  whizzed  close  over  Stanley's  head.  He 
now  ordered  his  men  to  fire,  which  they  did  with  such  terrible 
accuracy  that  a  score  or  more  of  the  savages  fell  dead  into  the 
water,  their  shields  floating  off  with  the  current.  These  were 
gathered  up,  and  served  an  excellent  purpose  in  forming  breast- 
works against  future  attacks. 

Day  after  day  they  were  compelled  to  fight  as  they  floated 
down  the  stream,  the  savages  seeming  bent  on  securing  their 
bodies  fora  feast.  On  the  first  of  January,  as  they  were  passing 
a  village,  the  war-canoes  came  out  as  usual  to  attack  them. 
Stanley  instructed  his  interpreter  to  be  mild  in  voice  and  pacific 
in  gesture,  hoping  to  conquer  these  savages  with  kindness  ;  but 
they  brandished  their  spears  and  cried  out,  "We  shall  eat 
Wajiwa  meat  to-day.  Oho,  we  shall  eat  Wajiwa  meat !"  and  then 
an  old  chief  gave  some  word  of  command,  and  at  once  100  pad- 
dles beat  the  water  into  foam,  and  the  canoes  darted  onward. 
But  the  contest  was  short ;  one  well-directed  volley  from  the 
guns  so  frightened  those  who  were  not  killed  that  they  sprang 
into  the  water  and  swam  ashore.  They  did  not  eat  Wajiwa  meat 
that  day. 

On  arriving  at  a  village  called  Kankore,  Stanley  was  agreeably 
surprised  to  find  the  people  mild  and  friendly.  They  came  to 
his  boats  unarmed,  as  an  evidence  of  their  peaceful  diposition, 
and  supplied  his  men  with  food  in  abundance.  These  people 
were  not  cannibals,  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  regarded  the  hor- 
rible man-eating  customs  of  their  neighbors  with  the  utmost 
loathing,  and  refused  to  have  any  intercourse  with  them.  But, 
32 


498 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


strangely  enough,  they  were  sandwiched  in  between  tribes  of  the 
most  disgusting  cannibalistic  tendencies,  and  soon  after  leaving 
their  village  Stanley's  party  was  again  attacked. 

HUGE    SPEARS. 

AT  one  place  the  savages  paraded  up  and  down  the  banks  hold 
ing  up  to  the  view  of  Stanley  and  his  people  bright  spear-blades, 


six  feet  Ions  and  six  inches  broad,  with  edges  as  sharp  as  razors. 
Realizing  the  danger  of  being  attacked  with  such  weapons,  Stan- 
ley had  his  camps  fortified  at  night,  while  passing  through  that 
country,  by  surrounding  them  with  a  circle  of  felled  trees  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  499 

interlaced  branches.  But  in  spite  of  these  precautions,  one  of 
his  best  men  was  killed  in  a  night  attack  by  one  of  these  spears 
striking  him  in- the  abdomen  and  cutting  his  body  almost  in  two 

Evidences  of  cannibalism  were  on  every  hand  in  the  human 
and  "  soko  "  skulls  that  grinned  on  many  poles,  and  the  bones 
that  were  so  freely  scattered  near  the  village  garbage-heaps  and 
the  river  banks,  where  one  might  suppose  hungry  canoemen  to 
have  enjoyed  a  cold  collation  of  ancient  matron's  arm  ;  as  the 
most  positive  and  downright  evidence  of  this  hideous  practice 
was  a  thin  forearm  of  a  person  that  was  picked  up  near  a  fire, 
with  certain  scorched  ribs  which  might  have  been  tossed  into  the 
fire  after  being  gnawed.  The  explorers  were  constantly  taunted 
with  threats  that  they  would  furnish  "  meat"  for  the  savages, 
that  word  having  but  a  slight  dialectic  difference  in  many  of  their 
languages. 

Upon  coming  to  anchor  one  day  about  fifty  yards  from  shore, 
two  old,  queer-looking  men  came  down  the  steep  bank  from  a 
neighboring  village,  and  rattled  pebbles,  enclosed  in  basket-work, 
toward  them,  hoping  to  charm  the  strangers  away.  But  the 
interpreter  soon  quieted  the  fears  of  the  old  men,  and  Stanley 
succeeded  in  obtaining  some  very  important  information  from 
them  in  regard  to  the  direction  and  character  of  the  river  below. 

NATIVES    OF    RUBUNGA. 

WHILE  passing  through  the  cannibal  country  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  procure  food,  and  the  expedition  was  reduced  nearly 
to  the  point  of  starvation.  Therefore,  on  arriving  at  a  village 
called  Rubunga,  Stanley  determined  to  make  a  desperate  effort 
to  obtain  provisions,  and  having  anchored  the  boats  some  distance 
out  in  the  river,  he  began  to  make  signs  to  the  crowd  of  savages 
on  the  shore,  indicating  that  he  was  hungry  and  wanted  something 
to  eat.  At  length  an  old  chief  came  down  the  high  bank  to  the 
lower  landing  near  some  rocks.  Other  elders  of  the  people,  in 
head-dresses  of  leopard  and  civet  skin,  joined  him  soon,  and 
then  all  sat  down.  The  old  chief  nodded  his  head.  In  an  instant 
the  anchor  of  the  "Lady  Alice  ''  was  raised,  and  with  two 
strokes  of  the  oars  Stanley  was  on  shore,  and  seizing  the  skinny 


500  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

hand  of  the  old  chief  pressed  it  for  joy.  These  people  were 
friendly  and  hospitable,  and  gladly  received  beads  in  exchange 
for  such  food  as  fresh  and  dried  fish,  snails,  oysters,  mussels, 
dried  dog-meat,  live  dogs  and  goats,  bananas,  plantains,  cassava 
tuber*,  flour,  and  bread  of  the  consistence  of  sailor's  "  duff," 
and  other  articles.  The  knives  of  these  people  were  singular 
specimens  of  the  African  smith  s  art,  being  of  a  waving  sickle- 
shaped  pattern,  while  the  principal  men  carried  brass-handled 
weapons,  eighteen  inches  long,  double-edged,  and  rather  wide- 
pointed,  with  two  blood-channels  along  the  centre  of  the  broad 
blade,  while  near  the  hilt  the  blade-shaft  was  pierced  by  two 
quarter-circular  holes,  and  the  top  of  the  shaft  was  ornamented 
with  the  fur  of  the  otter. 

To  add  to  the  atrocious  bad  taste  of  these  aborigines,  their 
necklaces  consisted  of  human,  gorilla,  and  crocodile  teeth,  in 
such  quantity  in  many  cases  that  little  or  nothing  could  be  seen 
of  the  neck.  A  few  possessed  polished  boars'  tusks,  with  the 
points  made  to  meet  from  each  side  of  the  neck,  imparting  to 
the  wearers  a  frightfully  hideous  appearance. 

The  most  curious  objects  discovered  at  Rubunga  were  four 
ancien*^  Portuguese  muskets,  at  the  sight  of  which  the  people  of 
the  expedition  raised  a  glad  shout.  These  appeared  to  them  cer- 
tain signs  that  they  had  not  lost  the  road,  that  the  great  river 
did  really  reach  the  sea,  and  that  their  master  was  not  deluding 
them  when  he  told  them  that  some  day  they  would  see  the  ocean. 
But  after  leaving  this  village,  in  nearly  all  their  subsequent  com- 
bats with  the  savages,  muskets  were  used  against  them,  often 
with  deadly  effect.  On  the  14th  of  February  they  were  attacked 
by  a  fleet  of  sixty  canoes,  filled  with  desperate  savages,  many  of 
whom  were  armed  with  guns.  They  approached  at  a  furious 
pace  shouting  their  war-cry  of  "  Yaha-ha-ha  !  Ya  Bangala  !  " 
"YaBangala!  Yaha-ha-ha!"  and  a  desperate  fight  took  place. 
One  young  chief  in  particular  fought  with  extraordinary  bravery. 
He  wore  a  head-dress  of  white  goat-skin,  and  a  shore  mantle  of 
the  same  material,  and  wreaths  of  thick  brass  wire  on  his  neck, 
arms,  and  legs,  sufficient,  indeed,  to  have  protected  those  parts 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


501 


from  slugs,  and  proving  him  to  be  a  man  01  consequence.     He 
was  finally  wounded  with  a  Snider  bullet  in  the  thigh,  when  he 


coolly  took  a  piece  of  cloth  and  deliberately  bandaged  it,  and 
them  calmly  retreated  toward  shore.     Stanley  was  so  impressed 


50*  THK  MOULD'S  WONDERS. 

bv  tne  bravery  of  this  young  chief,  thsit  he  ordered  his  men  not 
to  lire  on  him  again,  and  soon  afterward  the  savages  followed 
their  leader  and  retired  to  the  shore. 

On  January  10th  they  made  a  camp  on  shore  without  molesta- 
tion, but  great  was  their  astonishment  in  the  morning  to  find  that 
during  the  night  a  net- work  of  rope  had  been  set  around  the 
camp,  in  which  the  natives  expected  to  ensnare  the  entire  expe- 
dition, like  so  many  wild  animals.  In  a  short  fight  which  now 
took  place  eight  of  the  cannibals  were  captured,  who,  upon  being 
questioned,  admitted  that  they  had  set  their  nets  for  man-meat. 
They  also  declared  that  their  village  was  an  hour's  journey  from 
the  camp,  that  they  ate  old  men  and  old  women,  as  well  as  every 
stranger  captured  in  the  woods.  The  three  donkeys  which  Stan- 
ley had  with  him  struck  the  captives  with  great  awe  and  terror, 
and  when  they  were  led  up  to  the  animals  they  cried  out  in  such 
pitiable  accents  and  begged  so  hard  for  mercy  that  they  elicited 
Stanley's  sympathy  ;  but  they  were  taken  along  to  pilot  the  expe- 
dition to  the  next  falls,  which  were  soon  reached,  and  being  the 
most  picturesque  as  well  as  the  largest  in  the  river,  were  named, 
in  honor  of  the  explorer,  Stanley  Falls. 

KING    CHUMBIRI. 

AT  Balobo  they  were  rejoiced  to  find  a  humane  old  king, 
named  Chumbiri,  who  treated  Stanley  with  such  large  hospitality 
that  he  was  induced  to  camp  there  for  several  days.  The  king 
came  to  visit  him  in  great  state,  having  a  large  escort  of  mus- 
keteers who  were  dressed  in  bright-colored  cloths.  The  old  man 
was  a  character,  even  for  Africa.  He  wore  a  singular  looking 
tall  hat,  fashioned  like  those  worn  by  Armenian  priests.  It  was 
constructed  out  of  close-plaited  hyphene-palm  fibre,  sufficiently 
durable  to  outlast  his  life,  though  he  might  live  a  century. 
From  his  left  shoulder,  across  his  chest,  was  suspended  a  sword 
of  the  bill-hook  pattern.  Above  his  shoulder  stood  upright  the 
bristles  of  an  elephant's  tail.  His  hand  was  armed  with  a 
buffalo's  tail,  made  into  a  fly-flapper,  to  whisk  mosquitoes  and 
gnats  off  the  royal  face.  To  his  wrist  were  attached  the  odds 
and  ends  which  the  laws  of  superstition  had  enjoined  upon  him, 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


503 


such  as  charm-gourds,  charm-powders  in  bits  of  red  and  black 
flannel,  and  a  collection  of  wooden  antiquities,  besides  a  snuff- 
gourd  and  a  parcel  of  tobacco-leaves.  He  was  constantly  filling 
his  nose  with  snuff  and  then  sneezing  it  out  again.  He  also 
carried  a  pipe  six  feet  long,  decorated  with  brass  tacks.  From 
this  pipe  he  would  draw  long  whiffs  until  his  cheeks  were  dis- 
tended, and  then  fumigate  his  charms  with  the  smoke.  He  had 
forty  wives,  each  of  whom  was  permanently  collared  with  thick 
brass  rings,  which  must  have  weighed  as  much  as  twenty  pounds. 

When  one  of  his  wives  dies 
he  cuts  her  head  off  and 
thus  secures  the  brass  collar. 
This  clever  and  really 
kind-hearted  old  monarch 
was  one  of  the  richest  char' 


KING  CHUMBIRI. 


ONE  OF  CHUMBIRl'S  WIVES. 


acters  that  Stanley  met  in  all  his  travels,  and  he  remained  in  his 
village  several  days,  studying  his  peculiarities  and  recruiting  his 
almost  famished  people.  On  taking  his  departure  the  old  king 
furnished  him  with  an  escort  of  forty-five  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  one  of  his  sons,  who  accompanied  him  nearly  fifty 
miles,  and  rendered  him  valuable  services  in  that  wild  and 
unknown  country. 


504  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ADVENTURE  WITH  A  PYTHON. 

SOON  after  going  into  camp  after  the  first  day's  march  from 
Balobo,  everybody  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  nervous  excitement 
by  the  terrible  shrieks  of  a  boy,  and  upon  rushing  to  the  spot 
from  whence  the  alarm  came,  Stanley  was  horrified  to  see  a  huge 
python  uncoil  itself  from  the  body  of  one  of  the  black  boys  of 
the  expedition  and  glide  off  quickly  into  the  jungle.  In  the 
darkness  the.  boy  had  mistaken  the  snake  for  one  of  his  com- 
panions, as  it  reared  its  horrid  head  to  the  height  of  a  man,  and 
he  approached  so  near  that  it  seized  him  in  its  dreadful  folds. 
His  screams  and  the  rush  of  men  to  his  assistance  so  alarmed  the 
reptile  that  it  released  its  hold  and  fled.  In  half  an  hour  the 
python,  or  another  one,  was  discovered,  in  a  different  part  of  the 
camp,  about  to  embrace  a  woman  in  its  folds ;  but  this  time,  after 
tremendous  excitement,  the  monster  was  dispatched.  It  meas- 
ured only  13  feet  6  inches  in  length,  and  15  inches  round  the 
thickest  part  of  the  body. 

DEATH  OF  KALULU. 

ON  the  13th  of  March  the  expedition  reached  the  first  cataract 
of  the  Livingstone  Falls,  and  more  than  a  month  was  consumed 
in  passing  the  long  series  of  cataracts  that  break  the  flow  of  the 
river  here.  The  passage  of  this  part  of  the  river  was  saddened 
by  the  loss  of  many  good  men.  On  the  28th  of  March  one  of  the 
large  canoes,  called  the  "  Crocodile,"  containing  the  boy  Kalulu 
and  five  other  favorite  members  of  the  expedition,  was  swept 
over  a  cataract  and  all  were  drowned.  Stanley  felt  this  loss 
keenly,  for  he  loved  Kalulu  almost  like  a  younger  brother.  The 
boy  had  been  presented  to  him  by  the  Arabs  of  Unyanyembe  on 
the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  there  in  search  of  Livingstone.  He 

O 

was  then  a  mere  child,  but  very  bright  and  quick  for  one  of  his 
race  and  age.  Stanley  took  him  to  the  United  States,  where  he 
attended  school  eighteen  months,  and  rapidly  developed  into  an 
intelligent  and  quick-witted  youth.  When  Stanley  was  prepar- 
ing for  his  second  expedition,  Kalulu  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
accompany  him,  and  he  cheerfully  granted  his  request.  His 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  505 

untimely  death  made  so  deep  an  impression  upon  Stanley  that  he 
named  the  fatal  cataract  Kalulu Falls  in  honor  of  his  memory. 

After  leaving  Kalulu  Falls  the  expedition  experienced  but  few 
difficulties  until  the  latter  part  of  May,  when  they  arrived  at  a 
village  called  Mowa,  the  people  of  which  were  very  hospitable 
but  wondrously  superstitious.  They  furnished  the  party  with 
food  in  abundance  and  manifested  their  peaceable  inclinations  in 
many  ways.  It  was  Stanley's  custom  to  employ  himself  with 
his  note  book  almost  constantly  when  his  attention  was  not  other- 
wise required,  making  sketches,  memoranda,  or  preparing 
vocabularies  of  the  various  languages  he  met  with.  During  his 
short  stay  among  the  Mowa  he  was  thus  engaged  one  afternoon, 
when,  being  observed  by  some  of  the  savages,  they  immediately 
set  up  a  hallooing,  the  war  drums  began  to  beat  and  the  people 
prepared  for  fighting.  Stanley  was  astounded  at  this  surprising 
action  from  natives  who  had  received  him  with  such  kindness. 
He  called  them  to  him  and  asked  one  of  the  chiefs  the  cause  of 
the  sudden  outbreak. 

"Our  people,"  said  the  chief,  "  saw  you  yesterday  make 
marks  on  some  tara-tara  (paper).  This  is  very  bad.  Our 
country  will  waste,  our  goats  will  die,  our  bananas  will  rot,  and 
our  women  will  dry  up.  What  have  we  done  to  you,  that  you 
should  wish  to  kill  us?  We  have  sold  you  food,  and  we  have 
brought  you  wine,  each  day.  Your  people  are  allowed  to  wander 
where  they  please,  without  trouble.  Why  is  the  Mundele  so 
wicked?  We  have  gathered  to  fight  you  if  you  do  not  burn  that 
tara-tara  now  before  our  eyes.  If  you  burn  it  we  go  away,  and 
shall  be  friends  as  heretofore." 

Stanley  requested  them  to  allow  him  a  moment  to  visit  his 
tent,  and  he  would  then  satisfy  them  that  he  had  no  desire  to  do 
anything  that  would  cause  them  injury.  Having  a  copy  of 
Shakespeare  in  his  tent,  he  took  this  and  holding  it  up  asked  if 
that  was  the  tara-tara  they  wished  burnt. 

"Yes,  yes,  that  is  it." 

"  Well,  take  it  and  burn  it  as  you  desire." 

*'M — m!  no,  no,  no.  We  will  not  touch  it.  It  i&  fetich9 
You  must  burn  it." 


500  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

To  satisfy  their  superstitious  fears  he  was  compelled  to  sacri- 
fice his  Shakespeare,  but  it  was  the  means  of  saving  his  valuable 
note  book. 

TERRIBLE    DEATH    OF    FRANK    POCOCK. 

ON  June  3d  another  accident  occurred  at  Masassa  whirlpool, 
which  was  more  deplorable  than  all  the  others.  Frank  Pocock, 
who  had  been  Stanley's  mainstay  and  next  in  command  to  himself, 
attempted  to  drive  the  rapids  against  the  advice  of  his  experi- 
enced boatman,  Uledi,  who  was  the  bravest  native  connected  with 
the  expedition,  though  a  Zanzibar  freedman.  Pocock  was  warned 
of  the  danger  of  such  an  undertaking  ;  but  with  a  rashness  quite 
unlike  himself  he  ordered  the  canoe  pushed  out  into  the  stream. 
As  they  approached  nearer  and  nearer  the  mad  breakers  Frank 
realized  his  peril,  but  it  was  too  late.  They  were  soon  caught  in  the 
dreadful  whirl  of  waters  and  sucked  under  with  a  mighty  force 
sufficient  to  swallow  up  a  ship.  Pocock  was  an  expert  swimmer, 
but  his  art  did  not  now  avail  him,  for  he  was  swept  away  to  his 
death,  though  his  eight  companions  saved  themselves. 

The  dreadful  news  was  borne  to  Stanley  by  the  brave  Uledi. 
This  last  and  greatest  calamity,  coming  in  the  midst  of  his  already 
heavy  weight  of  woe,  so  overcame  the  great  explorer  that  he 
wept  bitter  tears  of  anguish. 

"  My  brave,  honest,  kindly-natured  Frank,"  he  exclaimed, 
"have  you  left  me  so?  Oh,  my  long-tried  friend,  what  fatal 
rashness!  Ah,  Uledi,  had  you  but  saved  him,  I  should  have 
made  you  a  rich  man." 

Of  the  three  brave  boys  who  sailed  away  from  England  with 
Stanley  to  win  the  laurels  of  discovery  in  the  unknown  wilds  of 
Africa,  not  one  was  left,  but  all  were  now  slumbering  for 
eternity  in  that  strange  land,  where  the  tears  of  sorrowing 
friends  and  relatives  could  never  moisten  their  rude  beds  of 
earth. 

The  repeated  calamities  of  the  expedition  had  by  this  time  so 
discouraged  the  people  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  effort  Stan- 
ley could  induce  them  to  proceed.  They  seemed  to  think  they 
were  going  to  certain  destruction,  and  became  languid,  sullen, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  507 

and  despondent.  On  the  20th  of  June  thirty-one  of  them  de- 
serted in  a  body,  hut  returned  a  few  days  afterward,  having  met 
with  anything  but  a  friendly  reception  from  the  natives.  Stan- 
ley's great  leadership  now  manifested  itself  in  keeping  his  people 
together,  quieting  their  complaints,  and  infusing  enough  energy 
and  determination  into  their  wasted  bodies  to  induce  them  to 
push  on  to  the  ocean.  Famine  stared  them  in  the  face,  and  he 
knew  that  nothing  but  a  persevering,  persistent,  impetuous 
advance  toward  the  sea  could  save  them. 

About  the  middle  of  July  they  reached  the  district  of  Ngoyo, 
where  they  found  a  very  amiable  and  friendly  people,  almost  as 
innocent  of  clothing  as  our  first  parents,  and  whose  principal 
decorations  consisted  in  boring  their  ears  and  noses.  These 
people  supplied  the  almost  famished  travelers  with  bananas,  pine- 
apples, guavas,  limes,  onions,  fish,  cassava  bread,  ground-nuts, 
and  palm  butter  in  abundance.  They  were  exceedingly  well- 
behaved  and  gentle,  and  many  of  them  were  handsome.  The 
fishing,  as  well  as  all  other  work,  was  done  by  the  women.  Their 
nets  were  constructed  of  palm-fibres  and  bark,  cone-shaped,  and 
open  at  the  bottom,  as  shown  in  the  engraving.  When  fishing 
the  women  waded  in  the  shallow  water  near  the  shore,  and  en- 
trapped the  fish  by  dropping  the  open  mouth  of  the  net  down 
over  them. 

There  were  some  dangerous  falls  near  this  village,  and  the 
natives,  to  the  number  of  more  than  four  hundred,  volunteered 
to  convey  Stanley's  boats  below  the  poirt  of  danger,  which  they 
did  in  admirable  style,  though  unfortunate.y  one  small  canoe  was 
wrecked.  They  expressed  much  concern  about  the  accident,  as 
though  they  had  been  the  authors  of  it ;  but  Stanley  reassured 
them  and  paid  them  liberally  for  their  services.  He  declares 
that  they  were  the  politest  people  he  encountered  in  Africa 

On  the  31st  of  July,  1877,  having  explored  the  river  to  Isan- 
gila  Falls,  and  proved  that  it  was  the  Congo,  Stanley  decided  to 
leave  the  ^vater  and  proceed  overland  by  a  direct  route  to  Em- 
bomma,  a  Portuguese  settlement  on  the  coast,  and  only  a  few 
day's  march  distant.  The  delight  of  the  people  at  this  announce- 


508 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ment  manifested  itself  in  loud  and  fervid  exclamations  of  gratitude 

to  Allah  ! 

It  was  a  wayworn,  feeble  and  suffering  column  that  filed  across 
the  rocky  terrace  of  Isangilaand  sloping  plain  the  following  day, 
and  strode  up  the  ascent  to  the  table-land,  pearly  forty  men 


filled  the  sick  list  with  dysentery,  ulcers  and  scurvy,  and  the 
victims  of  the  latter  disease  were  steadily  increasing. 

They  found  the  coast  natives  so  degraded  that  they  would  not 
exchange  food  for  any  article  except  rum,  the  use  of  which  they 
had  derived  from  the  Portuguese  traders  ;  so  that  starvation  soon 
stared  them  in  the  face.  On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  they 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  509 

reached  the  village  of  Nsanda,  and  marching  through  the  one 
street  in  melancholy  and  silent  procession,  voiceless  as  sphinxes, 
they  felt  their  way  down  into  a  deep  gully,  and  crawled  up  again 
to  the  level  of  the  village  site,  and  camped  about  two  hundred 
yards  away.  They  were  soon  visited  by  the  chief,  a  young, 
slightly-made  man,  much  given  to  singing,  being  normally  drunk 
from  an  excess  of  palm-wine.  He  was  kindly,  sociable — laughed, 
giggled  and  was  amusing,  but  would  not  furnish  food  to  the 
starving  travelers  unless  they  would  give  him  rum.  Having  no 
rum,  they  were  compelled  to  go  hungry. 

From  this  point  Stanley  sent  a  letter,  written  in  English, 
French  and  Spanish,  by  three  of  his  best  men,  to  Embomma, 
asking  relief  for  his  starving  people.  The  men  set  out  about 
noon  on  August  4th,  and  reached  the  settlement  the  next  d^y 
after  sundown.  Here  they  were  shown  to  the  factory,  or  store, 
of  Messrs.  Hatton  &  Cookson,  an  English  firm,  represented  by 
Mr.  John  W.  Harrison,  of  Liverpool.  That  night  an  abundance 
of  provisions  was  prepared  and  packed,  and  early  the  next 
morning  Stanley's  men  were  started  on  their  return  with  full 
stomachs  and  accompanied  by  a  number  of  stout  men  carrying 
everything  that  was  needed.  They  met  the  starving  expedition 
late  the  next  evening,  after  they  had  camped,  and  a  lively  scene 
ensued,  as  preparations  were  begun  for  a  royal  supper.  Relief 
had  come,  and  all  were  happy. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  1877,  the  999th  day  from  the  date  of 
his  departure  from  Zanzibar,  Stanley  prepared  to  greet  the  van 
of  civilization,  and  was  received  by  Mr.  Harrison  and  the  Fbrtu. 
guese  residents  with  great  edat.  They  insisted  upon  carrying  him 
through  the  town  in  a  swinging  hammock,  as  a  mark  of  special 
honor,  and  afterward  a  grand  banquet  was  provided  for  him. 

After  enjoying  the  generous  hospitality  of  these  people  for  two 
days,  Stanley  was  ready  to  depart,  but  he  first  strolled  down  to 
the  river,  on  the  banks  of  which  Embomma  is  situated,  to  take  a 
farewell  look  at  its  broad  and  placid  waters.  "  Glancing  at  the 
mighty  river  on  whose  brown  bosom  we  had  endured  so  much," 


510 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


said  he,  "I  saw  it  approach,  awed  and  humbled,  the  threshold 
of  the  watery  immensity,  to  whose  immeasurable  volume  and  il- 
limitable expanse,  awful  as  had  been  its  power,  and  terrible  as 


had  been  its  fury,  its  flood  was  but  a  drop.  And  I  felt  my  heart 
suffused  with  purest  gratitude  to  Him  whose  hand  had  protected 
us,  and  who  had  enabled  us  to  pierce  the  Dark  Continent  from 
east  to  west,  and  to  trace  its  mightiest  river  to  its  Ocean  bourne." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  511 

He  proceeded  with  his  company  on  a  steamer  to  Kabinda,  and 
thence  to  Loanda,  where  his  sick  and  suffering  people  were  re- 
ceived into  the  Portuguese  hospital,  and  remained  until  Septem- 
ber 27,  five  of  them  dying  in  the  meantime.  From  Loanda  the 
expedition  sailed  to  Cape  Town,  and  thence  back  to  Zanzibar, 
where  the  people  were  paid  off  and  discharged.  Stanley  started 
for  England  December  13,  1877,  and  upon  his  arrival  in  London 
was  received  with  distinguished  honors,  such  as  he  well  deserved. 
He  had  fairly  won  the  English  heart  as  well  as  the  heartiest  praise 
of  his  own  country.  He  had  proved  himself,  next  to  Livingstone, 
the  greatest  explorer  that  ever  penetrated  Africa. 


PAUL  B.  DU  CHA1LLU. 


CHAPTER  XXVHI. 

PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU  was  not  an  explorer  in  the  literal  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  but  rather  an  investigator,  for  his  ambition  was 
to  acquaint  himself  with  the  animal  life  of  Africa,  while  the 
physical  features  of  the  country  were  merely  incidental  to  the 
purpose  of  his  travels.  He  had  lived  several  years  on  the  African 
coast,  where  his  father  had  a  factory,  and  during  this  residence 
his  curiosity  had  led  him  to  acquire  the  languages  of  the  tribes 
that  came  to  trade  in  his  vicinity  ;  he  had  also  become  acclimated 
to  equatorial  temperature,  and  was  in  a  measure  exempt  from 
fevers  which  prevail  near  the  coast.  He  was  a  Frenchman  by 
birth,  but  a  cosmopolitan  by  travel  and  citizenship,  for  he  had 


512  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

lived  in  many  different  countries,  the  last  being  the  United 
States,  from  whence  he  sailed  for  Africa  in  October,  1855=  Du 
Chaillu  was  also  a  naturalist  and  sportsman,  for  in  the  preface  to 
his"  Adventures  in  Equatorial  Africa,"  he  says  : 

«'  A  brief  summary  of  the  results  of  my  four  years'  travel  will 
perhaps  interest  the  reader.  I  traveled — always  on  foot,  and 
unaccompanied  by  other  white  men — about  8,000  miles.  I  shot, 
stuffed,  and  brought  home  over  2,000  birds,  of  which  more  than 
60  are  new  species,  and  I  killed  upward  of  1,000  quadrupeds,  of 
which  200  were  stuffed  and  brought  home,  with  more  than  80 
skeletons.  Not  less  than  20  of  these  quadrupeds  are  species 
hitherto  unknown  to  science.  I  suffered  fifty  attacks  of  the 
African  fever,  taking,  to  cure  myself,  over  fourteen  ounces  of 
quinine.  Of  famine,  long-continued  exposures  to  the  heavy 
tropical  rains,  and  attacks  of  ferocious  ants  and  venomous  flies, 
it  is  not  worth  while  to  speak." 

IN   THE    HAUNTS    OF    GORILLAS    AND    SERPENTS. 

Du  CHAILLU  had  traveled  several  months  in  the  interior, 
accompanied  by  an  armed  escort  of  natives  and  women  carriers, 
before  he  met  with  any  important  adventure,  as  the  time  had 
been  devoted  chiefly  to  considering  the  people  he  met  and  trying 
to  instil  in  them  the  principles  of  Christianity.  Along  the 
Ntambounay  river  and  Sierre  del  Crystal  mountains,  however,  his 
attention  became  directed  to  other  things  more  immediately  con- 
cerning his  own  well-being.  The  region  was  very  thinly  popu- 
lated and  the  difficulties  of  procuring  food  became  so  great  that 
his  entire  party  was  seriously  threatened  with  starvation.  While 
sitting  under  a  tree,  tired  and  intensely  hungry,  he  began  to 
reflect  upon  his  miserable  condition  ;  his  gun  lay  beside  him,  his 
only  dependence  for  food,  and  this  seemed  now  as  useless  as  a 
walking-stick.  He  had  not  long  continued  in  this  reverie  when, 
looking  up,  merely  by  chance,  he  was  horrified  by  seeing  an 
enormous  serpent  swinging  from  a  branch  immediately  over  hi.s 
head,  and,  slowly  slipping  its  great  body  so  as  to  extend  its  length, 
w.is  preparing  to  seize  him.  Quick  as  a  flash  he  grasped  his  gun 
and  shot  it  through  the  head.  An  examination  of  the  snake 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  513 

showed  it  to  have  been  of  a  venomous  species,  though  of  an 
extraordinary  size.  Du  Chaillu's  men  were  delighted  with  the 
good  fortune  that  had  befallen  them  ;  they  immediately  cut  the 
snake  in  pieces,  and  after  a  thorough  roasting,  ate  it  with  a  keen 
relish.  Though  very  hungry,  he  could  not  bring  his  stomach  to 
a  condition  that  would  receive  a  morsel  of  such  food. 

Within  a  few  hours  after  this  adventure,  the  party  came  upon 
a  kind  of  sugar-cane  which  grew  rank  in  a  large  patch  that  was 
surrounded  by  a  dense  covert.  They  had  hardly  observed  the 
cane,  before  one  of  the  party  discovered  fresh  signs  of  several 
gorillas,  which  had  been  making  their  meal  off  the  juicy  cane, 
and  in  so  doing  had  broken  down  and  chewed  up  a  large  quantity, 
leaving  a  wide  swath  to  mark  their  course.  There  was  much 
confusion  at  this  discovery,  for  while  Du  Chaillu  was  eager  to 
follow  the  animals,  the  men  and  women  of  the  party  were  agitated 
with  great  fear  ;  they  might  reasonably  be  excused  for  exhibiting 
their  nervousness,  since  the  male  gorilla  is  literally  king  of  the 
African  forests,  and  not  even  the  lion  disputes  his  rule. 

By  command  of  Du  Chaillu,  the  armed  escort  accompanied 
him,  each  man  first  looking  well  to  his  gun,  for  a  misfire  would 
be  followed  by  almost  sure  death.  To  guard  against  accident, 
however,  the  party  kept  close  together,  and  proceeded  with  the 
greatest  caution,  since  it  was  certain,  from  the  number  of  fresh 
tracks,  that  there  must  be  four  or  five  gorillas  in  company.  They 
had  traveled  only  a  few  hundred  yards  when,  in  rounding  a  large 
rock,  they  saw  four  young  gorillas  running  off  at  great  speed, 
having  taken  an  alarm  before  the  hunters  espied  them.  Du 
Chaillu  says :  "I  protest  I  felt  almost  like  a  murderer  when  I 
saw  the  gorillas  this  first  time.  As  they  ran — on  their  hind  legs — 
they  looked  fearfully  like  hairy  men  ;  their  heads  down,  their 
bodies  inclined  forward,  their  whole  appearance  like  men  running 
for  their  lives.  Take  with  this  their  awful  cry,  which,  fierce  and 
animal  as  it  is,  has  yet  something  human  in  its  discordance,  and 
you  will  cease  to  wonder  that  the  natives  have  the  wildest  super- 
stitions about  these  wild  men  of  the  woods." 

Among  the  stories  which  are  current  and  universally  believed 
33 


514  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

respecting  the  gorilla's  characteristics,  is  the  following,  told  to 
Du  Chaillu  by  one  of  his  escort :  Two  Mbondemo  women  were 
one  day  walking  together  through  the  woods,  when  suddenly  an 
immense  gorilla  stepped  into  the  path  and  seizing  the  handsomer 
one  bore  her  off  in  spite  of  her  screams  and  struggles.  The 
other  woman  ran  to  the  village  people  and  related  the  occurrence, 
and  a  search  was  made  for  the  beast,  but  to  no  purpose.  Several 
days  elapsed  without  any  signs  of  the  missing  woman,  and  her 
fato  no  one  doubted.  Great  was  the  surprise,  therefore,  when 
she  returned  home  uninjured,  and  told  her  experience  with  the 
gorilla.  She  said  he  handled  her  so  carefully  that  not  the  least 
injury  was  done,  though  he  held  her  so  tightly  that  escape  was 
impossible.  For  the  several  days  she  was  kept  a  prisoner,  the 
gorilla  treated  her  with  much  kindness,  making  a  great  bed  of 
leaves  for  her  to  lie  on  and  supplying  an  abundance  of  berries  for 
her  food.  He  proved  a  devoted  lover,  covering  her  with  caresses 
and  other  affectionate  manifestations,  but  at  length  he  left  her 
and  she  returned  homo  none  the  worse  for  her  experience. 

Other  stories  were  told  of  how  the  gorilla  lies  in  wait  in  the  low 
branches  of  trees  over  a  path  and  seizing  the  unfortunate  persons 
who  may  chance  to  pass  beneath,  draws  them  up  and  quickly 
chokes  them  to  death.  Many  natives  declare  that  the  spirits  of 
their  dead  take  up  their  abode  in  gorillas,  in  which  shape  they 
wreak  vengeance  on  their  enemies. 

In  the  evening  after  this  vain  hunt,  Du  Chaillu  killed  a 
monkey,  while  some  of  his  men  found  a  beehive  full  of  honey. 
The  monkey  was  roasted,  and  from  this  and  the  honey  he  was 
able  to  satisfy  the  craving  hunger  which  was  fast  enfeebling  him. 
Famine  was  still  threatening,  however,  "and  to  save  himself 
from  starvation  Du  Chaillu  set  off  for  a  Fan  village,  where  he 
hoped  to  purchase  food.  Seeing  a  monkey  in  the  high  branches 
of  a  tree,  he  tried  to  shoot  the  little  animal,  but  it  cunningly  hid 
itself;  and  while  walking  around  in  an  effort  to  discover  the 
monkey,  he  was  suddenly  confronted  by  a  Fan  warrior 
with  his  two  wives.  The  sight  of  the  dread  cannibals  gave 
Dn  Chaillu  great  fright,  until  he  saw  that  the  warrior  himself 


THE    WOULD  S    WON! >i: IIS.  515 

was  quaking  with  fear ;  one  of  his  three  spears  fell  to  the  ground, 
his  lips  were  ashen,  and  his  shield  rattled  with  his  trembling. 
The  women  were  no  less  agitated,  for  all  thought  the  white  man 
was  a  spirit  just  come  down  out  of  the  sky,  nor  did  their  fears 
subside  until  Du  Chaillu's  men  came  up,  when  a  few  presents  of 
beads  seemed  to  reassure  them,  and  on  going  to  their  village  Du 
Chaillu  was  kindly  received,  and  food  was  purchased  in  any 
quantity  desired,  so  that  his  party  were  enabled  to  continue  their 
journey  with  full  stomachs. 

SHOOTING  HIS  FIRST  GORILLA. 

Two  days  after  leaving  the  Fan  village,  while  working  their 
tedious  way  through  a  thick  jungle,  the  guide,  Miengai,  gave  a 
cluck  with  his  tongue,  which  indicated  caution  and  the  approach 
to  something  unusual.  Following  this  warning,  quickly  came  the 
noise  of  breaking  branches,  and  with  this  Du  Chaillu  felt  certain 
that  he  was  Hearing  one  of  the  kings  of  the  forest.  He  relates 
the  adventure  as  follows : 

"Suddenly,  as  we  were  yet  creeping  along,  in  a  silence  which 
made  a  heavy  breath  seem  loud  and  distinct,  the  woods  were  at 
once  filled  with  a  tremendous  barking  roar  of  the  gorilla. 
Then  the  underbrush  swayed  rapidly  just  ahead,  and  presently 
before  us  stood  an  immense  male  gorilla.  He  had  gone  through 
the  jungle  on  his  all-fours ;  but  when  he  saw  our  party  he 
erected  himself  and  looked  us  boldly  in  the  face.  He  stood 
about  a  dozen  yards  from  us,  and  was  a  sight  I  think  never  to 
forget.  Nearly  six  feet  high,  with  immense  body,  huge  chest, 
and  great  muscular  arms,  with  fiercely-glaring  large  deep  gray 
eyes,  and  a  hellish  expression  of  face,  which  seemed  to  me  like 
some  nightmp.e  vision  :  thus  stood  before  us  this  king  of  the  Afri- 
can forests.  He  was  not  afraid  of  us.  He  stood  there,  nndboat 
his  breast  with  his  huge  fists  till  it  resounded  like  an  immense 
bass-drum,  which  is  their  mode  of  offering  defiance :  meantime 
giving  vent  to  roar  after  roar. 

"The  roar  of  the  gorilla  is  the  most  singular  and  awful  noise 
heard  in  these  African  woods.  It  begins  with  a  sharp  bark,  like 
an  angry  dog,  then  glides  into  a  deep  bass  roll,  which  literally 


516 


WORLD* a  woNDEfts.  51? 

and  closely  resembles  the  roll  of  distant  thunder  along  the  sky, 
for  which  I  have  sometimes  been  tempted  to  take  it  where  I  did 
not  see  the  animal.  So  deep  is  it  that  it  seems  to  proceed  less 
from  the  mouth  and  throat  than  from  the  deep  chest  and  vast 
paunch.  His  eyes  began  to  flash  fiercer  fire  as  \ve  stood  motion- 
less on  the  defensive,  and  the  crest  of  short  hair  which  stands 
on  his  forehead  began  to  twitch  rapidly  up  and  down,  while  his 
powerful  fangs  were  shown  as  he  again  sent  forth  a  thunderous 
roar.  And  now  truly  he  reminded  me  of  nothing  but  some 
hellish  dream-creature — a  being  of  that  hideous  order,  half-man, 
half-beast,  which  we  find  pictured  by  old  artists  in  some  repre- 
sentations of  the  infernal  regions.  He  advanced  a  few  steps — 
then  stopped  to  utter  that  hideous  roar  again — advanced  again, 
and  finally  stopped  when  at  a  distance  of  about  six  yards  from 
us.  And  here,  as  be  began  another  of  his  roars  and  beating  his 
breast  in  rage,  we  fired  and  killed  him. 

"  With  a  groan  which  had  something  terribly  human  in  it,  and 
yet  was  full  of  brutishness,  it  fell  forward  on  its  face.  The 
body  shook  convulsively  for  a  few  minutes,  the  limbs  moved 
about  in  a  struggling  way,  and  then  all  was  quiet — dei:th  had 
done  its  work,  and  I  had  leisure  to  examine  the  huge  body.  It 
proved  to  be  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  and  the  muscular  devel- 
opment of  the  arms  and  breast  showed  what  immense  strength 
it  had  possessed." 

A  quarrel  took  place  among  Du  Chaillu's  men  about  the 
apportionment  of  the  meat,  of  which  they  are  excessively  fond, 
which  would  no  doubt  have  led  to  bloodshed  had  he  not  interfered 
and  divided  the  carcass  himself.  The  brain  was  very  carefully 
preserved  by  the  men  to  make  charms,  which  were  of  two  kinds, 
one  of  which  would  give  them  a  strong  hand  for  the  hunt,  and 
the  other  make  them  successful  with  women. 

A   VISIT    AMONG   THE    FAN    CANNIBALS. 

THE  next  morning  after  killing  the  gorilla,  Du  Chaillu  accepted 
an  invitation  to  visit  a  large  Fan  village,  in  order  that  he  might 
learn  whether  the  stories  told  about  their  cannibal  propensities 
were  true  or  not,  a  curiosity  which  he  had  an  unquenchable  desire 


51$ 


THE  WORLD* s  WONDERS. 


to  satisfy. 


He  had  hardly  entered  the  village  when  he  met  a 

woman  who  was 
carryingthe  thigh 
of  a  human  body, 
just     as    if     she 
were       returning 
from  market  with 
a   roast.     Reach- 
ing   the    palaver 
house    (council 
chamber),  he  was 
yet  further    con- 
vinced     of      the 
horrible     custom 
of  these  people, 
by  seeing  a  large 
party  boisterous- 
ly disputing  over 
the  division   of  a 
dead  body  which 
lay  freshly  killed 
before  them.  The 
head  had  already 
been  severed  and 
sent  to  the  king, 
who  is  entitled  to 
that  portion,  as  it 
is     regarded     as 
being     the    most 
delicious  dish 
that  can  possibly 
be  prepared.    On 
every   side    were 
human  bones  that 
had  been  gnawed 
THE  CANNIBAL  UNO.  bare  of  flesh 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  519 

Du  Chaillu  was  presented  to  the  king,  who  was  a  savage-look- 
ing creature,  fully  armed,  with  face,  chest,  stomach,  and  back 
tattooed,  while  the  rest  of  his  body  was  painted  red,  making  him 
look  every  inch  a  cannibal  king.  His  beard,  which  was  quite 
long,  was  plaited  in  two  braids,  tipped  with  beads,  and  a  long 
queue,  fashioned  in  the  same  manner,  hung  down  his  back.  This 
same  style,  however,  was  affected  by  all  the  men  whether  of 
royal  blood  or  not.  Brass  anklets  were  also  worn,  which  jingled 
as  he  walked.  The  women  were  so  nearly  naked  that  all  their 
costuming  was  confined  to  the  hair. 

All  the  savage  peowle  regarded  Du  Chaillu  as  a  spirit,  and 
to  propitiate  him  they  gave  a  great  dance,  which  was  chiefly  per- 
formed by  women,  and  it  was  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  inde- 
cent orgies  the  mind  of  man  can  conceive  ;  it  was  accompanied 
by  inharmonious  singing  to  the  music  of  a  drum  made  of  the 
hollowed  trunk  of  a  tree,  four  feet  long,  covered  atone  end  with 
dried  goat-skin.  After  the  dance  was  over  they  kindly  sent  him 
a  basket  of  cooked  plantains,  which,  however,  seemed  to  smell 
of  the  flesh-pot,  so  that  Du  Chaillu  rejected  them,  as  he  could 
not  bear  the  thought  of  man-eating  even  at  second  hand. 

On  the  following  day  an  elephant  hunt  was  organized,  in  which 
four  elephants  were  killed,  but  one  of  the  natives  lost  his  life  by 
being  trample*,  auder  the  feet  of  one  of  the  huge  animals.  The 
man's  body  was  nought  into  the  village  to  be  sold  to  a  neigh- 
boring tribe  for  meat. 

Du  Chaillu  writes  :  "  While  I  was  talking  to  the  king  to-day, 
some  Fans  brought  in  a  dead  body  which  they  had  bought  in  a 
neighboring  town,  and  which  was  now  to  be  divided.  I  could 
see  that  the  man  had  died  of  some  disease.  I  confess  I  could 
not  bear  to  stay  for  the  cutting  up  of  the  body,  but  retreated 
when  all  was  ready.  It  made  me  sick  all  over.  I  remained  till 
the  infernal  scene  was  about  to  begin,  and  then  retreated.  After- 
ward I  could  hear  them  from  my  house  growing  noisy  over  the 
division.  This  is  a  form  of  cannibalism — eating  those  who  have 
died  of  sickness — of  which  I  had  never  heard  in  any  people,  so 
that  I  determined  to  inquire  if  it  were  indeed  a  general  custom, 


520  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

01  merely  an  exceptional  freak.  They  spoke  without  embarrass- 
ment about  the  whole  matter,  and  I  was  informed  that  they  con- 
stantly buy  the  dead  of  the  Osheba  tribe,  who,  m  return,  buy 
theirs.  They  also  buy  the  dead  of  other  families  in  their  own 
tribes,  and,  besides  this,  get  the  bodies  of  a  great  many  slaves 
from  the  Mbichos  and  Mbondemos,  for  which  they  readily  give 
ivory,  at  the  rate  of  a  small  tusk  for  a  body." 

THE    IRON- WORKERS. 

IRON  ore.is  found  in  considerable  quantities  throughout  the  Fan 
country,  cropping  out  at  the  surface.  They  do  not  dig  into  .lie 
ground  for  it,  but  gather  what  lies  about.  To  get  the  iron  they 
build  a  huge  pile  of  wood,  place  on  this  a  considerable  quantity  of 
the  ore  broken  up,  then  comes  more  wood,  and  then  fire  is  applied 
to  the  whole  heap.  As  it  burns  away  wood  is  thrown  on  contin- 
ually, till  at  last  they  perceive,  by  certain  signs,  that  they  have 
made  the  iron  fluid.  All  is  then  permitted  to  cool,  and  they  have 
now  cast  iron.  To  make  this  malleable  and  give  it  temper,  they 
put  it  through  a  most  tedious  series  of  heatings  and  hammerings, 
till  at  last  they  turn  out  a  very  superior  article  of  iron  and  steel, 
much  better  than  that  which  is  brought  to  them  from  Europe. 
It  is  a  fact  that,  to  make  their  best  knives  and  arrow-heads,  they 
will  not  use  the  European  or  American  iron,  but  prefer  their 
own.  And  many  of  their  knives  and  swords  are  really  very  finely 
made,  and,  for  a  rude  race,  beautifully  ornamented  by  scroll- 
work on  the  blades. 


CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

ADVENTURE    WITH   AN   ENORMOUS    SERPENT. 

AFTER  stopping  for  several  days  in  the  Fan  country,  Du 
Ohaillu  took  leave  of  the  cannibal  king,  who  had  really  treated 
him  in  a  most  friendly  manner,  and  proceeded  to  Cape  Lopez  to 
inspect  the  Portuguese  slave-pens,  which  are  nearly  always 
crowded  with  poor  black  unfortunates.  Some  dreadful  scenes 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  521 

were  here  witnessed,  such  as  have  been  previously  described  in 
Baker's  expedition.  Du  Chaillu  remarks  upon  the  great  differ- 
ence shown  in  the  dispositions  of  the  slaves  he  saw  at  Lopez ; 
some  were  merry  and  quite  contented  with  their  fate,  while  others 
were  in  the  depths  of  despair ;  for,  to  add  to  the  horror  of  their 
position,  they  nearly  all  believed  that  the  white  people  purchased 
them  for  food  ;  they  could  conceive  of  no  usato  which  they  might 
be  applied  unless  it  was  to  eat  them  ;  they  said  :  "  The  white  men 
beyond  the  sea  are  great  cannibals,  who  have  to  import  blacks 
for  the  market."  This  belief  arises  from  their  own  customs. 
Thus  a  chief  in  the  interior  who  received  Du  Chaillu,  immediately 
ordered  a  slave  killed  for  his  dinner. 

After  wandering  about  the  town  until  night,  Du  Chaillu 
repaired  to  his  house  and  prepared  for  bed.  He  set  fire  to  a  torch 
for  light  and  began  to  undress  by  its  flickering  rays.  Before 
entirely  disrobing,  his  eye  caught  sight  of  a  glittering  object  which 
lay  under  his  bedstead,  but  he  gave  it  no  particular  attention 
until  he  was  ready  to  retire;  then,  approaching  nearer,  he  was 
horrified  to  find  that  the  shining  object  was  an  enormous  serpent 
that  had  coiled  itself  up  under  his  couch  for  a  quiet  sleep.  Grasp- 
ing a  shot-gun  that  was  near  at  hand,  he  placed  the  muzzle 
against  the  coiled  monster  and  fired,  quickly  retreating  from  the 
room.  The  shot  brought  several  persons  to  the  spot,  and  upon 
cautiously  entering  the  room,  the  snake  was  found  cut  almost  in 
two,  but  still  squirming  and  floundering  about  the  room.  It  was 
now  dispatched  with  a  heavy  stick,  and  was  found  to  measure 
eighteen  feet  in  length,  a  little  too  large  for  a  comfortable  bed- 
fellow. 

ADVENTURE  WITH  A  LEOPARD, 

Du  CHAILLU  did  not  remain  long  at  Cape  Lopez,  as  there  was 
little  of  interest  there,  so,  purchasing  a  new  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion, he  hired  two  guides  and  a  dozen  porters,  and  started  again 
for  the  interior  by  a  route  which  brought  him  back  again  to  the 
equator  in  the  gorilla  and  cannibal  region. 

Upon  reaching  the  Sangatanga  country,  he  established  a  camp 
from  which  he  hunted  with  great  success,  obtaining  many  speci- 


522  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

metis  of  birds  and  animals.  One  evening,  while  hunting  elephants, 
he  came  to  a  small  lake,  on  the  borders  of  which  he  saw  a  solitary 
buffalo  ;  the  grass  being  very  high,  stalking  was  easy,  and  in  a 
stealthy  manner,  followed  by  his  guide,  he  came  so  nearthe  buf- 
falo that  he  was  upon  the  point  of  firing,  when  the  guide  arrested 
his  arm  with  a  nervous  "  Sh-h-h  !"  and  there  fell  on  his  ear  a 
\w,  purring  sound,  barely  noticeable  above  the  rustling  grasses. 

"  Njego,  master,"  said  the  guide  (a  leopard.) 

The  quick  and  experienced  ear  of  the  guide  lad  detected  its 
near  presence  by  the  purring  noise,  something  like  that  made  by 
a  cat,  though  louder. 

Du  Chaillu  knew  that  the  leopard  hunts  only  at  night  and  that 
they  do  not  stir  about  during  daylight  except  when  driven  by 
hunger,  when  they  are  very  dangerous  and  will  not  hesitate  to 
•ittack  men.  Cautiously  the  two  moved  along,  each  moment 
expecting  the  still  hidden  animal  to  spring  upon  them,  until  at 
length  the  beautiful  but  ferocious  beast  was  observed  gazing  so 
latently  at  the  buffalo  that  it  had  not  noticed  the  enemy 
approaching  from  behind.  It  was  a  very  large  female,  with  a 
half-grown  cub  beside  her,  capable  of  doing  much  mischief. 
Almost  at  the  same  moment  that  the  two  men  saw  her  she  turned 
her  fiery  eyes  toward  them,  and  lashing  the  ground  with  her  tail, 
was  upon  the  point  of  springing  at  them  when  a  bullet  from 
Du  Chaillu's  large  rifle  crashed  into  her  brain  and  she  rolled  over 
dead.  The  guide  made  an  equally  true  shot  at  the  cub,  which 
also  dropped  and  instantly  died. 

These  leopards,  royal  game  indeed,  became  the  subject  of  a 
protracted  contention  among  Du  Chaillu's  men,  all  of  whom  were 
anxious  to  possess  the  tip  of  the  tail,  which  they  regarded  as 
being  a  powerful  charm.  The  brain  was  also  a  portion  which  they 
much  desired,  for  similar  purposes.  A  few  days  later  another, 
yet  larger,  leopard  was  killed  near  the  same  place,  just  as  it  was 
in  the  act  of  springing  upon  Aboko,  the  guide  referred  to.  His 
escape  was  a  narrow  one. 

During  his  encampment  at  Sangatanga,  Du  Chaillu  and  his 
killed  such  an  enormous  amount  of  game  that  the  entire 


523 


village  was  fairly  overrun  with  meat.     Among  the  trophies  was 
a  fine  elephant,  which  was  shot  dead  by  Aboko  at  a  single  dis- 


m 


charge  of  his  musket,  a  feat  very  rarely  accomplished.  The 
people  buried  the  larger  portion  of  the  meat  obtained  in  this 
hunt  just  outside  their  village,  where  the  soil  contained  some 


524  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

kind  of  preservative  properties  which  the  natives  declared  would 
keep  the  meat  fresh  for  many  months. 

A    CURIOUS    SUPERSTITION. 

DURING  a  visit  to  the  village  of  King  Alapay,  Du  Chaillu  wit- 
nessed the  performance  of  a  curious  superstitious  rite.  On  the 
first  night  when  the  new  moon  is  visible  all  is  kept  silent  in  the 
village ;  nobody  speaks  but  in  an  undertone  ;  and  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  King  Alapay  came  out  of  his  house  and  danced 
along  the  street,  his  face  and  body  painted  in  black,  red,  and 
white,  and  spotted  all  over  with  spots  the  size  of  a  peach.  In  the 
dim  moonlight  he  had  a  frightful  appearance,  which  made  one 
shudder  at  first.  Du  Chaillu  asked  him  why  he  painted  thus,  but 
he  only  answered  by  pointing  to  the  moon,  without  speaking  a 
word. 

Soon  after  leaving  King  Alapay's  village,  Du  Chaillu  and  his 
men  had  to  cross  a  swamp  that  lay  in  their  course.  It  was  about 
a  mile  in  width,  but  near  the  center  there  was  a  deep  place 
covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  mangrove,  whose  roots  interlaced 
and  formed  a  sort  of  bridge,  over  which  the  men  hopped  and 
jumped  liked  so  many  monkeys.  Suddenly,  one  of  them  flopped 
down  into  the  mud,  crying  out  **  Omemba !"  (snake  !)  The  poor 
fellow  had  put  his  hand  on  an  enormous  black  snake,  and  feel- 
ing its  cold,  slimy  scales,  let  go  his  hold  and  fell  through.  All 
hands  immediately  began  to  run  faster  than  before,  and  to  shout 
and  make  all  kinds  of  noises  to  frighten  the  serpent.  But  the 
poor  reptile  also  took  fright,  and  began  to  crawl  away  among 
the  branches  as  fast  as  he  could.  Unfortunately,  his  fright  led 
him  directly  toward  the  party ;  and  a  general  panic  now  ensued, 
everybody  running  as  fast  as  he  could  to  get  out  of  the  way  of 
danger.  Du  Chaillu  shot  the  serpent,  and  they  were  soon  out  of 
the  swamp  and  in  a  place  of  safety. 

FIGHT   BETWEEN   A   LEOPARD    AND    A    BUFFALO. 

WHILE  hunting,  one  day,  Du  Chaillu  fired  at  a  wild  buffalo, 
but  the  bullet  struck  a  vine  and  glanced  from  its  course,  wound* 
ing  the  beast  in  the  neck.  It  was  a  large,  fierce  bull,  and 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


525 


snorting  with  pain  it  lowered  its  horns  and  dashed  toward  the 
hunter.  He  had  but  a  moment  to  consider,  and  prudently  deter- 
mined to  run,  for  though  he  had  his  second  barrel  in  reserve,  he 
felt  that  the  animal  was  too  close  upon  him  to  risk  another  shot. 


As  he  turned  to  escape,  his  foot  caught  in  a  tough  vine.  He 
was  a  prisoner,  and  the  bull  dashing  toward  him,  head  down  and 
eyes  aflame,  tearing  asunder  the  vines  which  barred  his  progress 
as  though  they  had  been  threads.  PU  Chaillu  had  been  nervous 


526  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

a  moment  before  ;  but  now,  turning  to  meet  the  enemy,  he  felt 
his  nerves  at  once  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and  his  whole  system  braced 
for  the  emergency.  All  depended  on  one  shot ;  for,  if  he  missed, 
the  bull  would  not.  He  waited  till  the  beast  was  within  five 
yards  of  him,  and  then  fired  at  his  head.  He  gave  one  loud, 
hoarse  bellow,  and  tumbled  to  the  ground  dead,  his  body  almost 
falling  upon  Du  Chaillu. 

One  evening,  soon  after  this  adventure;  Du  Chaillu  went  some 
distance  from  his  camp  to  a  noted  buffalo-walk,  and  seating  him- 
self behind  an  ant-hill  waited  for  the  approach  of  game.  At 
last  he  fell  asleep  ;  how  long  he  dozed  he  could  not  say,  but  he 
was  finally  awakened  by  an  unearthly  roar  or  yell,  as  of  some 
wild  animal  in  extreme  agony.  He  started  up,  but  could  see 
nothing.  A  dull,  booming  roar  succeeded,  and  he  inferred  that 
some  fortunate  leopard  had  found  a  buffalo.  Determined  to  see 
the  fight  if  possible,  ho  made  toward  the  sounds,  and,  emerging 
from  a  piece  of  woods,  saw  scudding  across  the  plain,  and  at  but 
little  distance  from  him,  a  wild  bull,  on  whose  neck  was  crouched 
a  leopard.  Vainly  the  poor  beast  reared,  tossed,  ran,  stopped, 
roared  and  yelled.  In  its  blind  terror  it  at  last  even  rushed 
against  a  tree,  and  nearly  tumbled  over  with  'he  recoil.  Rut 
once  more  anguish  lent  it  strength,  and  it  rot  out  on  anoth  ,r 
race.  Du  Chaillu  took  as  good  aim  at  the  leopard's  figure  as  he 
could  and  fired,  but  with  no  effect  that  he  could  discover.  The 
exciting  spectacle  lasted  but  a  minute  ;  then  the  bull  was  lost  to 
sight,  and  presently  his  roars  ceased.  The  leopard  had  sucked 
away  his  life,  and  was  now  feasting  on  his  prey. 

VISIT    TO    KING   BANGO. 

BEING  in  King  Bango's  country,  Du  Chaillu  determined  to  pay 
his  majesty  a  visit.  The  king's  palace  was  situated  on  the  top 
of  a  high  hill,  and  surrounded  by  the  huts  of  his  wives,  of  whom 
he  had  three  hundred.  Wherever  King  Bango  went  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  ministers  of  state,  and  ;:•  bevy  of  his  wives 
bearing  his  pipes  and  his  pots  of  rum  ;  and  none  were  allowed 
to  address  him  without  first  falling  on  their  faces  to  the  ground 
and  imploring  the  royal  favor.  The  king's  T  er.ul  costume  vas  a 


THE    WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


527 


flaming  yellow  coat, — probably  the  cast-off    garment  of    some 
Portuguese  lackey, — and  a  dilapidated  pair  of  short  pantaloons. 


On  the  occasion  of  Du  Chaillu's  visit,  the  effect  of  the  royal 
costume  was  heightened  by  a  tawdry-looking  crown,  like  those 
worn  by  actors  on  the  stage,  of  which  he  appeared  to  be  very 


528  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

proud.     He  sat  on  a  dirty  sofa  for  a  throne,  and  held  his  spear 
in  his  hand  as  a  sceptre. 

The  following  day  he  returned  the  white  man's  visit,  being 
borne  in  a  hammock  on  the  shoulders  of  his  officers.  At  first 
Du  Chaillu  thought  he  was  drunk,  but  was  presently  informed 
that  his  left  arm  and  leg  were  paralyzed,  so  that  he  could  not 
walk.  His  wives  surrounded  him,  and  Du  Chaillu  soon  perceived 
that  they  were  all  drunk.  While  he  and  the  king  were  talking 
one  of  the  women  was  slyly  kicking  nim  on  the  shins  and  wink- 
ing at  him,  which  made  Du  Chaillu  extremely-  nervous,  as  he  feared 
KingBango  might  notice  her  actions  and  have  his  jealousy  aroused. 

The  succeeding  night  a  grand  ball  was  given  by  the  king  in 
Du  Chaillu's  honor.  Shortly  after  dark  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  of  Bango's  wives  assembled,  many  of  whom  were  accounted 
the  best  dancers  in  the  country.  A  stiff  drink  of  rum  was  given 
to  each  woman,  and  then  the  singing  and  dancing  commenced, 
the  women  only  taking  part  in  the  latter.  This  dance  is  inde- 
scribable. Any  one  who  has  seen  a  Spanish  fandango,  and  can 
imagine  its  wild  movements  tenfold  exaggerated,  will  have  some 
faint  conceptions  of  the  postures  of  these  black  women.  The 
ball  went  on  for  about  two  hours,  when,  the  rum  having  been 
in  the  meanwhile  freely  distributed,  the  assembly  became  so 
uproarious  that  Du  Chaillu  attempted  to  retire,  but  the  king  would 
not  suffer  it.  He  and  all  his  people  seemed  to  enjoy  the  fun 
amazingly.  But  as  the  revelry  grew  madder  and  madder  all  the 
time,  Du  Chaillu  at  length  slipped  out  and  went  to  bed. 

TOSSED    BY    A     BUFFALO. 

Du  CHAILLU  returned  to  Cape  Lopez  again  from  Sangatanga, 
and  taking  a  vessel  went  to  the  Gaboon  river,  which  is  nearly  ten 
miles  wide  at  its  mouth.  He  here  secured  a  schooner,  the  Caro- 
line, and  loaded  her  with  provisions  sufficient  to  last  his  party 
twenty  months.  They  found  the  river  navigable  for  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  miles,  while  along  its  banks  were  numerous  vil- 
lages and  much  game.  At  Rampano  village  Du  Chaillu  went  on 
shore  and  established  a  camp,  being  assured  that  hunting  in  the 
neighborhood  was  exceptionally  fine. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


29 


Early  the  following  morning  he  started,  with  a  hunter  named 
Ifouta,  with  the  hope  of  getting  a  shot  at  some  buffaloes  that 
were  said  to  be  in  the  prairie  baek  of  the  town.  They  had  been 


out  about  an  hour  when  they  came  upon  a  bull  feeding  in  the 
midst  of  a  little  prairie  surrounded  by  a  wood,  which  made  their 
approach  easy,  Ifouta  walked  around  opposite  to  where  Du 


34 


530  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Chaillu  lay  in  wait,  so  that  if  the  animal  took  alarm  at  him  it 
might  fly  toward  his  master ;  and  then  began  to  crawl,  in  the 
hunter  fashion,  through  the  grass  toward  his  prey.  All  went 
well  till  he  came  near  enough  for  a  shot.  Just  then,  unluckily, 
the  bull  saw  him.  Ifouta  immediately  fired.  The  gun  made  a 
long  fire,  and  he  only  wounded  the  beast,  which,  quite  infuriated, 
as  it  often  is  at  the  attack  of  hunters,  immediately  rushed  upon 
him. 

It  was  now  that  poor  Ifouta  lost  his  presence  of  mind.  Ii: 
8uch  cases,  which  are  continually  happening  to  those  who  hunt 
the  buffalo,  the  cue  of  the  hunter  is  to,  remain  perfectly  quiet  till 
the  beast  is  within  a  jump  of  him,  then  to  step  nimbly  to  one  side 
and  let  it  rush  past.  But  Ifouta  got  up  and  ran.  Of  course,  in  a 
moment  the  bull  had  him  on  his  horns.  It  tossed  him  hi'srh  into 

O 

the  air  three  times  before  Du  Chaillu  could  run  up,  and,  by  his 
shouts,  draw  its  fury  to  himself.  Then  it  came  rushing  at  him. 
But  his  gun  did  not  hesitate,  and,  as  he  had  a  fair  shot,  he  killed 
it  without  trouble.  Ifouta  proved  to  be  considerably  bruised, 
but,  on  the  whole,  more  scared  than  hurt ;  and  when  he  had 
washed  in  a  creek  near  by,  he  was  able  to  walk  home. 

CAPTURE    OF    A    GORILLA. 

A  MONTH  after  debarking  at  Ranpano,  Du  Chaillu's  heart  was 
gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  young  gorilla,  which  some  daring 
members  of  his  party  had  captured.  They  were  passing  through 
the  forest  on  their  way  to  camp  after  an  unsuccessful  hunt,  when 
their  attention  was  attracted  by  the  cries  of  the  baby  gorilla  for 
its  mother;  knowing  how  intensely  delighted  their  master  would 
be  to  possess  such  a  prize,  they  resolved  upon  its  capture.  Cau- 
tiously approaching  through  the  wood,  they  saw  the  baby  sitting 
on  the  ground  eating  some  berries  which  grew  close  to  the  earth. 
A  few  feet  further  on  sat  the  mother,  also  eating  the  same  food 
They  instantly  made  ready  to  fire  on  the  mother,  who  had  already 
discovered  them,  and  was  advancing  with  great  rage.  Three 
guns  were  fired  together,  and  she  fell  mortally  wounded.  The 
baby,  alarmed  by  the  noise  of  the  guns,  rushed  to  his  mother, 
and  in  a  manner  pitiably  affectionate  embraced  her,  and  in  many 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


531 


ways  tried  to  arouse  her  ;  his  heart  seemed  breaking  by  the  ap- 
pealing look  he  gave  while  he  tugged  at  his  dead  mother's  face 
and  nestled  down  beside  her,  until  the  hunters  were  fairly  upon 
him.  Taking  fright  only  when  they  attempted  to  seize  him,  he 
fled  to  a  large  tree  near  by, 
and  nimbly  ascended  to  its 
topmost  branches,  roaring  all 
the  while  with  savage  fury. 
The  tree  was  too  large  to 
climb,  so,  after  much  debating, 
they  cut  it  down  and  then 
rushed  upon  the  young  gorilla 
with  a  large  cloth  which  they 
dexterously  threw  over  its  head, 
and  thus  secured  it,  but  not 
before  one  of  the  men  had  his 

finger  bitten  off,   and  another 
o 

lost  a   piece    of    his    leg.     It 

proved    to   be   a   male,   about 

three  years  old,  and  two  feet  six 

inches   in   height ;    though    so 

young,  it  was  very  strong  and 

dreadfully     pugnacious. 

During    a    captivity    of 

several   days,  his  anger 

only  seemed  to  increase. 

He  finally   succeeded  in 

forcing  the  bars  of   his 

cage  apart  and   escaped 

into  Du  Chaillu's  room. 

Here  he  was  master  of 

the  situation  for  some  time,  no  one  being  willing  to  measure 

strength  with  him.     At  length  Du  Chaillu  thought  of  a  happy 

expedient:  a  net  was  brought  and  fastened  by  the  door  so  that 

he  must  become  entangled  in  its  meshes  in  passing  out.     The 

plan  worked  successfully,  and  the  baby  was  again  placed  in  his 


CAPTURE  OF  THE   BABY  GORILLA. 


532  THK  WORLD'S  WONDKKS. 

cage,  but  not  until  a  chain  had  been  attached  to  a  collar  about 
his  neck  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  future  escape. 

It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  little  gorilla  in  the  mad  frenzy  which 
he  displayed  after  recapture.  But  he  seemed  to  grow  more  com- 
posed after  two  days  and  would  come  to  eat  out  of  Du  Chaillu's 
hand,  but  it  was  always  with  a  treacherous  intent.  Assuming  a 
most  bland  and  peaceful  expression,  he  would  approach  from  the 
rear  of  his  cage  and  take  the  food  proffered  him,  but  in  a  twinkling 
he  would  throw  out  his  hind  feet  and  try  to  grasp  the  arm  or 
legs  of  his  captor.  After  ten  days'  captivity  he  died,  continuing 
untamable  to  the  last. 

THE    NEST-BUILDING   APE. 

NOT  long  after  losing  his  baby  gorilla,  Du  Chaillu  went  upon 
a  hunt  with  a  proper  escort  and  his  favorite  man  Aboko.  They 
were  not  very  successful  in  finding  game,  but  the  enthusiastic 
naturalist  found  something  that  was  even  more  delightful  to  him. 
As  he  was  trudging  along,  rather  tired  of  the  sport,  he  happened 
to  look  up  at  a  high  tree  which  they  were  passing,  and  saw  a  most 
singular-looking  shelter  built  in  its  branches.  He  asked  Aboko 
whether  the  hunters  here  had  this  way  to  sleep  in  the  woods,  but 
was  told,  to  his  surprise,  that  this  very  ingenious  nest  was  built 
by  an  ape,  called  nshiego,  an  animal  with  no  hair  on  its  head — 
so  Aboko  said. 

Du  Chaillu  saw  at  once  that  he  was  on  the  trail  of  an  animal 
till  then  unknown  to  the  civilized  world.  He  no  longer  felt  tired, 
but  pushed  on  with  renewed  ardor  and  with  increased  caution, 
determined  not  to  rest  till  he  had  killed  the  nest-building  ape. 

These  nests,  many  of  which  were  found  in  the  forest,  were 
built  on  the  lowest  branches  of  large  trees,  invariably  isolated, 
and  usually  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
materials  of  which  they  are  made  are  leafy  branches  with  which 
the  roof  is  constructed,  and  vines  to  tie  these  branches  to  the 
tree.  They  are  so  admirably  built  that  human  hands  could 
scarcely  improve  them,  certainly  much  better  than  are  the  habi- 
tations of  the  tree-dwellers  in  some  of  the  Malay  islands.  The 
nests  are  never  found  in  company,  nor  do  the  females  and  males 


THE   WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


533 


occupy  the  same  abode,  but  live  in  separate  nests  built  in  trees 
not  far  apart.  Their  food  is  wild  berries,  and  they  build  their 
houses  where  they  find  these.  When  they  have  consumed  all 


THE  NSHIEGO   OR  NEST-BUILDING  APE. 


that  a  particular  spot  affords,  they  remove  and  build  new  houses, 
so  that  a  nest  is  not  inhabited  for  more  than  eight  or  ten  days. 
Du  Chaillu  and  his  guide  traveled  with  great  caution,  not  to 


534  THE    WORLD* 8    WONDERS. 

alarm  their  prey,  and  had  a  hope  that,  singling  out  a  shelter  and 
waiting  till  dark,  they  should  find  it  occupied.  In  this  hope  they 
were  not  disappointed.  Lying  quite  still  in  their  concealment, 
just  at  dusk  they  heard  the  loud  peculiar  "  Hew  !  Hew  !  Hew  !" 
which  is  the  call  of  the  male  to  his  mate.  They  waited  till  it 
was  quite  dark  and  then  saw  what  they  had  so  longed  for  all  the 
weary  afternoon.  A  nshiego  was  sitting  in  his  nest ;  his  feet 
rested  on  the  lower  branch  ;  his  head  reached  quite  into  the  little 
dome  of  a  roof,  and  his  arm  was  clasped  firmly  about  the  tree- 
trunk.  This  is  their  way  of  sleeping.  A  shot  quickly  brought 
the  poor  beast  to  the  earth. 

The  largest  one  which  Du  Chaillu  killed  measured  four  feet 
four  inches  in  height,  and  had  a  spread  of  arms  of  more  than 
seven  feet.  This  shows  it  to  be  larger  than  the  chimpanzee,  but 
considerably  smaller  than  the  gorilla ;  wh'ile  it  bears  no  resem- 
blance to  either. 

FIGHT    BETWEEN    A    LEOPARD    AND    A    CROCODILE. 

ON  the  following  day  a  crocodile  hunt  was  arranged  to  take 
place  on  Anengue  Lake,  which  was  fairly  alive  with  the  dreadful 
reptiles.  The  natives,  having  only  harpoons,  very  seldom  hunted 
them,  as  their  only  vulnerable  spot  is  in  the  soft  place  just 
behind  or  under  the  fore-legs,  which  is  very  difficult  to  hit  with  a 
harpoon.  This  immunity  from  danger  which  the  crocodile 
shares  tends  to  multiply  their  numbers  and  make  them  easy  of 
approach.  Du  Chaillu  went  out  in  a  canoe  paddled  by  two  men, 
while  others  followed  to  pick  up  the  game.  Several  were  shot, 
measuring  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  i.n  length,  which  were 
towed  to  the  village  behind  canoes,  crocodile  meat  being  regarded 
as  a  great  luxury  by  all  Africans. 

About  two  hours  after  this  incident  Du  Chaillu's  attention 
was  attracted  by  aloud  splashing  among  the  reeds  near  the  shore, 
and  a  fierce  growling,  which  plainly  told  of  some  wild  animal  in 
distress.  A  few  vigorous  strokes  of  the  paddles  brought  him  in 
plain  view  of  a  leopard  and  crocodile  engaged  in  deadly  combat. 
It  was  evident  at  a  glance  that  the  leopard  had  been  attacked  by 
the  reptile  while  drinking  and  was  battling  for  his  life.  It  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


535 


a  terrible  fight,  in  which  neither  apparently  had  any  advantage. 
The  water's  edge  was  dyed  with  blood  while  the  two  animals 
were  covered  with  wounds.  Du  Chaillu  sat  a  mute  spectator  for 
sereral  minutes,  and  until  he  saw  them  both  struggling  in  their 
death  throes.  The  crocodile  was  first  to  succumb,  but  the 
leopard  was  unable  to  drag  himself  away,  and  died  in  less  than 
ten  minutes  beside  his  victim. 


COMBAT  BETWEEN  THE  LEOPARD  AND  THE  CROCODILE. 
A   WITCH   DOCTOR. 

DURING  his  visit  among  the  Camma  people  Du  Chaillu  was 
witness  of  a  strange,  unearthly  ceremony,  which  was  performed 
to  drive  away  the  spirit  that  was  vexing  one  of  his  men.  De- 
scribing this  ceremony  he  writes  : 

"  The  Camma  theory  of  disease  is  that  Okamboo  (the  devil) 
has  got  into  the  sick  man.  Now  this  devil  is  only  to  be  driven 
out  with  noise,  and  accordingly  they  surround  the  sick  man  and 
beat  drums  and  kettles  close  to  his  head  ;  fire  off  guns  near  to 
his  ears  ;  sing,  shout,  and  dance  all  they  can.  This  lasts  till  the 
poor  fellow  either  dies  or  is  better — unless  the  operators  become 
tired  out  first — for  the  Camma  doctors  either  kill  or  cure." 


536  THE   WORLl/S   WONDERS. 

In  this  case  the  sick  man  died  and  was  buried  in  a  shallow 
grave,  from  which  wild  beasts  soon  tore  the  body  and  devoured 
it.  The  mourning  was  now  begun  and  lasted  six  days,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  a  celebrated  doctor  was  sent  for  in  order  that  he 
might  discover,  by  a  fetich  ceremony,  who  it  was  that  had 
bewitched  the  dead  man  ;  for  it  was  not  believed  that  a  young 
man  of  general  good  health  could  die  so  suddenly  by  the  natural 
course  of  nature. 

A  canoe  was  dispatched  to  bring  the  doctor,  who  arrived  in 
due  time  and  at  once  prepared  to  exorcise  the  vexatious  spirit. 
He  wore  a  high  head-dress  of  black  feathers  ;  his  eyelids  were 
painted  red,  and  a  red  stripe,  from  the  nose  upward,  divided  his 
forehead  into  two  parts.  The  face  was  painted  white,  and  on 
each  side  of  his  mouth  were  two  round  red  spots,  while  around 
his  neck  was  a  grass  cord  suspending  a  box  of  snake  bones  and 
other  charms.  He  sat  on  a  box,  or  stool,  before  which  stood 
another  box  containing  charms.  On  this  stood  a  looking-glass. 
beside  which  lay  a  buffalo-horn  containing  some  black  powder, 
and  said,  in  addition,  to  be  the  refuge  of  many  spirits.  He  had 
a  little  basket  of  snake-bones,  which  he  shook  frequently  during 
his  incantations,  and  also  several  skins,  to  which  little  bells  were 
attached.  Near  by  stood  another  fellow  beating  a  board  with 
two  sticks.  All  the  people  of  the  village  gathered  about  thi* 
couple,  who,  after  continuing  their  incantations  for  quite  a  while, 
at  last  came  to  the  climax.  Jombuai  was  told  to  call  over  the 
names  of  persons  in  the  village,  in  order  that  the  doctor  might 
ascertain  if  any  one  of  those  named  did  the  sorcery.  As  each 
name  was  called  the  old  cheat  looked  in  the  glass  to  see  the 
result.  He  was  unable  to  name  the  witch,  but  declared  that  he1 
was  hidden  in  the  village  and  would  kill  every  one  who  remained 
there.  At  once  there  was  great  excitement,  for  the  people  began 
to  shout  and  tear  down  their  houses,  making  all  the  while  hideous 
noises  to  frighten  the  witch  away  while  they  were  preparing  for 
removal.  At  the  end  of  a  few  hours  the  village  had  entirely 
disappeared  from  its  old  site  ard  was  re-established  again  i»  a 
spot  about  a  mile  away. 


WORLD ' 8   WONDERS. 


537 


538  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS 

TERRIBLE    COMBAT    WITH    A    GORILLA, 

SOME  time  after  this  event  Du  Chaillu  went  on  another  gorilla 
hunt,  taking  with  him  six  companions,  all  of  whom  he  armed 
with  guns,  in  anticipation  of  an  exciting  adventure,  for  the  male 
gorilla  is  the  only  wild  animal  that  does  not  fear  man.  Ths  hunt 
is  thus  described  by  Du  Chaillu  : 

"Our  little  party  separated,  as  is  the  custom,  to  stalk  the 
woods  in  various  directions.  One  brave  fellow  went  off  alona  ir. 
a  direction  where  he  thought  he  could  find  a  gorilla.  The  other 
three  took  another  course.  We  had  been  about  an  hour  separated 
when  Gumbo  and  I  heard  a  gun  fired  but  a  little  way  from  us, 
and  presently  another.  We  were  already  on  our  way  to  the  spot 
where  we  hoped  to  see  a  gorilla  slain,  when  the  forest  began  to 
resound  with  the  most  terrific  roars.  Gumbo  seized  my  arms  in 
great  agitation,  and  we  hurried  on,  both  filled  with  a,  dreadful 
and  sickening  fear.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  our  worst  fears 
were  realized.  The  poor  brave  fellow  who  had  gone  off  alone 
was  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  pool  of  his  own  blood,  and  I  thought 
at  first  quite  dead.  Beside  him  lay  his  gun.  The  stock  was 
broken  and  the  barrel  was  bent  and  flattened.  It  bore  plainly 
the  marks  of  the  gorilla's  teeth. 

"We  picked  him  up,  and  I  dressed  his  wounds  as  well  as  I 
could  with  rags  torn  from  my  clothes.  When  I  had  given  him  a 
little  brandy  to  drink  he  came  to  himself,  and  was  able,  but  with 
great  difficulty,  to  speak.  He  said  that  he  had  met  the  gorilla 
suddenly  and  face  to  face,  and  that  it  had  not  attempted  to 
escape.  It  was,  he  said,  a  huge  male,  and  seemed  very  savage. 
It  was  in  a  very  gloomy  part  of  the  woods,  and  the  darkness 
made  him  miss.  He  said  he  took  good  aim,  and  fired  when  the 
beast  was  only  about  eight  yards  off.  The  ball  merely  wounded 
it  in  the  side.  It  at  once  began  beating  its  breasts,  and  with  the 
greatest  rage  advanced  upon  him.  To  run  away  was  impossible. 
He  would  have  been  caught  in  the  jungle  before  he  had  gone  a 
dozen  steps. 

"  He  stood  his  ground,  and  as  quickly  as  he  could  reloaded  his 
gun.  Just  as  he  raised  it  to  fire,  the  gorilla  dashed  it  out  of  his 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


539 


hands,  the  gun  going  off  in  the  fall,  and  then  in  an  instant,  and 
with  a  terrible  roar,  the  animal  gave  him  a  tremendous  blow  with 
its  immense  open  paw,  frightfully  lacerating  the  abdomen,  and 


with  a  single  blow  laying  bare  part  of  the  intestines.  As  he 
sank,  bleeding,  to  the  ground,  the  monster  seized  tne  gun,  and 
the  poor  hunter  thought  he  would  have  his  brains  dashed  out 
with  it.  But  the  gorilla  seemed  to  have  looked  upon  tkis  also  as 


540  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

an  enemy,  and  in  his  rage  flattened  the  barrel  between  his  strong 
jaws.  When  we  came  upon  the  ground  the  gorilla  was  gone. 
This  is  their  mode  when  attacked — to  strike  one  or  two  blows, 
and  then  leave  the  victims  of  their  rage  on  the  ground  and  go  off 
into  the  woods. 

"We  hunted  up  our  companions  and  carried  our  poor  fellow 
to  the  camp,  where  all  was  instantly  excitement  and  sorrow. 
They  entreated  me  to  give  him  medicine,  but  I%had  nothing  to 
suit  his  case.  I  saw  that  his  days  were  numbered  ;  and  all  I 
could  do  was  to  make  him  easy  by  giving  him  a  little  brandy  or 
wine  at  intervals.  He  had  to  tell  the  whole  story  over  again  ; 
and  the  people  declared  at  once  that  this  was  no  true  gorilla  that 
had  attacked  him,  but  a  man — a  wicked  man  turned  into  a  gorilla. 
Such  a  being  no  man  could  escape,  they  stiid  ;  and  it  could  not 
be  killed,  even  by  the  bravest  hunters." 

The  poor  fellow  died  in  great  pain  on  the  second  day.  On  the 
same  day  Du  Chaillu  killed  a  gorilla  which  he  thought  must  be 
the  same  one  that  had  fatally  wounded  his  servant,  as  it  answered 
to  the  description  which  the  dying  man  gave.  Its  height  was  five 
feet  seven  inches,  and  it  had  a  spread  of  arms  of  nearly  sight 
feet.  Its  weight  was  about  225  pounds.  Two  days  later  Du 
Chaillu  killed  a  still  larger  male,  that  measured  five  feet  nins 
inches  in  height  and  its  arms  spread  out  a  distance  of  nine  feet, 
while  its  chest  circumference  was  sixty-two  inches. 

HABITS    OF     THE    GORILLA. 

Du  CHAILLU  is  the  only  explorer  who  has  ever  hunted  and 
made  a  special  study  of  the  gorilla.  His  observations  are  there- 
fore of  great  importance,  since  he  is  recognized  as  the  only 
authority  on  the  subject.  His  descriptions  of  the  haunts  and 
habits  of  the  animal  are  as  follows  ; 

"The  gorilla  is  not  gregarious.  Of  adults,  I  found  almost 
always  one  male  with  one  female,  though  sometimes  the  old  male 
wanders  companionless.  In  such  cases,  as  with  the  '  rogue'  ele- 
phant, he  is  particularly  morose  and  malignant,  and  dangerous  to 
approach.  Young  gorillas  I  found  sometimes  in  companies  of 
five  i  sometimes  less,  but  never  more.  The  young  always  run 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


541 


hunts 


off,  on  all  fours,  shrieki.-^  with  fear.  They  are  difficult  to  ap- 
proach, as  their  hearings  acute,  and  they  lose  no  time  in  making 
their  escape,  while  the  nature  of  the  ground  makes  it  hard  for 
the  hunter  to  follow.  The  adult  animal  is  also  shy,  and  T  have 
hunted  all  day  at  times  without  coming  upon  them,  when  I  felt 
sure  they  were  carefully  avoiding  me.  When,  however,  at  last 
fortune  favors  the  hunter,  and 
he  comes  accidentally  or  by 
good  management  upon  his 
prey,  he  need  not  fear  its  run- 
ning away.  In  all 
and  encounters  with 
mal,  I  never  knew 
male  to  run  off.  When  I 
prised  a  pair  of  gorillas, 
male  was  gen- 
erally sitting  on 
a  rock  or 
against  a  tree, 
in  some  darkest! 
corner  of  the 
jungle  where 
the  brightest 
s  un  left  its 
traces  only  in  a 
dim  and  gloomy 
twilight.  The 
female  was 
mostly  feeding 

near  by ;  and  it  is  singular  that  she  almost  always  gave  the 
alarm  by  running  off,  with  loud  and  sudden  cries  or  shrieks. 
Then  the  male,  sitting  for  a  moment  with  a  savage  frown  on  his 
face,  slowly  rises  to  his  feet,  and,  looking  with  glowing  and  ma- 
lign eyes  at  the  intruders,  begins  to  beat  his  breast,  and,  lifting 
up  his  round  head,  utters  his  frightful  roar.  This  begins  with 
several  sharp  barks,  like  an  enraged  or  mad  dog,  whereupon 


THE  GORILLA   STRIKING  THE  HUNTER. 


542  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

ensues  a  long,  deeply-guttural  rolling  r,  continued  for  over  a 
minute,  and  which,  doubled  and  multiplied  by  the  resounding 
echoes  of  the  forest,  fills  the  hunter's  ears  like  the  deep-rolling 
thunder  of  an  approaching  storm.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
I  have  heard  this  roar  at  a  distance  of  three  miles.  The  horror 
of  the  animal's  appearance  at  this  time  is  beyond  description. 
It  seems  as  monstrous  as  a  nightmare  ;  so  impossible  a  piece  of 
hideousness  that,  were  it  not  for  the  danger  of  its  savage 
approach,  the  hunter  might  fancy  himself  in  some  ugly  dream. 

"It  is  a  maxim  with  a  well-trained  gorilla-hunter  to  reserve 
his  fire  till  the  very  last  moment,  for  if  he  misses,  the  gorilla  at 
once  rushes  on  him,  and  this  onset  no  man  can  withstand.  One 
blow  of  that  huge  paw,  with  its  bony  claws,  and  the  poor  hunter's 
entrails  are  torn  out,  his  breast-bone  broken,  or  his  skull  crushed. 
It  is  too  late  to  reload,  and  flight  is  vain. 

"The  gorilla  is  only  met  in  the  most  dark  and  impenetrable 
jungle,  where  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  clear  aim,  unobstructed  by 
vines  and  tangled  bushes,  for  any  distance  greater  than  a  few 
yards.  For  this  reason  the  hunter  wisely  stands  still  and  awaits 
the  approach  of  the  infuriated  beast.  The  gorilla  advances  at 
short  stages,  stopping  to  utter  his  diabolical  roar  and  to  beat  his 
vast  breast  with  his  paws.  His  walk  is  a  waddle,  from  side  to 
side,  his  hind  legs,  which  are  short,  being  somewhat  inadequate 
to  the  proper  support  of  his  huge  superincumbent  body.  He 
balances  himself  by  swinging  his  arms,  and  the  vast  paunch,  the 
round  bullet-head  joined  awkwardly  to  the  trunk  with  scarce  a 
vestige  of  neck,  and  the  great  muscular  arms,  and  deep,  cavern- 
ous breast,  give  to  this  waddle  an  ungainly  horror,  which  adds  to 
his  ferocity  of  appearance.  At  the  same  time,  the  deep-set  grey 
eyes  sparkle  out  with  gloomy  malignity  ;  the  features  are  contorted 
in  hideous  wrinkles,  and  the  slight,  sharply-cut  lips,  drawn  up, 
reveal  the  long  fangs  and  the  powerful  jaws,  in  which  a  human 
limb  would  be  crushed  as  a  biscuit. 

"  The  hunter,  looking  with  fearful  care  to  his  priming,  stands 
still,  gun  in  hand,  often  for  five  weary  minutes,  waiting  with 
growing  nervousness  for  the  moment  when  he  may  relieve  his 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS,, 


GORILLAS   SURPRISED  IN  A  FOREST. 


544  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

suspense  by  firing.  I  have  never  fired  at  a  male  at  a  greater 
distance  than  eight  yards,  and  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  feet  is 
the  usual  shot.  At  last  the  opportunity  comes  ;  and  now  the 
gun  is  quickly  raised,  a  moment'sanxiousaim  at  the  vast  breadth 
of  breast,  and  then  pull  trigger. 

"In  shooting  the  hippopotamus  at  night  and  on  shore,  the 
negro  always  scampers  off  directly  he  has  fired  his  gun.  When 
he  fires  at  the  gorilla  he  stands  still.  I  asked  why  they  did  not 
run  in  this  case,  too,  and  was  answered  that  it  was  of  no  use  ;  to 
run  would  be  fatal.  If  the  hunter  has  missed,  he  must  battle 
for  his  life  face  to  face,  hoping  by  some  piece  of  unexpected 
good  fortune  to  escape  a  fatal  blow,  and  come  off,  perhaps, 
maimed  for  life,  as  I  have  seen  several  in  the  up-river  villages. 
Fortunately,  the  gorilla  dies  as  easily  as  man  ;  a  shot  in  the  breast, 
if  fairly  delivered,  is  sure  to  bring  him  down.  He  falls  forward 
on  his  face,  his  long,  muscular  arms  outstretched,  and  uttering, 
with  his  last  breath,  a  hideous  death-cry,  half  roar,  half  shriek, 
which,  while  it  announces  his  safety  to  the  hunter,  yet  tingles  his 
ears  with  a  dreadful  note  of  human  agony.  It  is  this  lurking 
reminiscence  of  humanity,  indeed,  which  makes  one  of  the  chief 
ingredients  of  the  hunter's  excitement  in  his  attack  of  the  gorilla. 

"  The  common  walk  of  the  gorilla  is  not  on  his  hind  legs,  but 
on  all-fours.  In  this  posture,  the  arms  are  so  long  that  the  head 
and  breast  are  raised  considerably,  and  as  it  runs  the  hind  legs 
are  brought  far  beneath  the  body.  The  leg  and  arm  on  the  same 
side  move  together,  which  gives  the  beast  a  curious  waddle.  It 
can  run  at  great  speed.  The  young,  parties  of  which  I  have 
often  pursued,  never  take  to  trees,  but  run  along  the  ground, 
and  at  a  distance,  with  their  bodies  half-erect,  look  not  unlike 
negroes  making  off  from  pursuit.  I  have  never  found  the 
female  to  attack,  though  I  have  been  told  by  the  negroes  that  a 
mother  with  a  young  one  in  charge  will  sometimes  make  fight. 
It  is  a  pretty  thing  to  see  such  a  mother  with  the  baby  gorilla 
sporting  about  it.  I  have  watched  them  in  the  woods,  till,  eager 
:i*  I  was  to  obtain  specimens,  I  had  not  the  heart  to  shoot.  But 
in  such  cases  my  negro  hunters  exhibited  no  tender-heartedness, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  545 

but  killed  their  quarry  without  loss  of  time.  When  the  mother 
runs  off  from  the  hunter  the  young  one  grasps  her  about  the 
neck,  and  hangs  beneath  her  breast  with  its  little  legs  about  her 
body." 

"  The  gorilla  uses  no  artificial  weapons  of  offense,  but  attacks 
always  with  its  arms,  though  in  a  struggle  no  doubt  the  powerful 
teeth  would  play  a  part.  I  have  several  times  noticed  skulls  in 
which  the  huge  canines  were  broken  off,  not  worn  down,  as  they 
are  in  almost  all  the  adult  gorillas,  by  gnawing  at  trees  which 
they  wish  to  break,  and  which,  without  being  gnawed  into,  are 
too  strong  even  for  them.  The  negroes  informed  me  that  such 
teeth  were  broken  in  combats  between  the  males  for  the  posses- 
sion of  a  fermile,  and  I  think  this  quite  probable.  Such  a  combat 
must  form  a  magnificent  and  awful  spectacle.  A  struggle  between 
two  well-matched  gorillas  would  exceed  in  that  line  anything  ever 
witnessed  by  the  Romans." 

CARNIVEROUS    ANTS. 

ONE  of  the  most  dangerous  pests  of  Africa  are  the  bashikonay 
ants,  whose  ravages  are  wonderful,  and  whose  powers  of  destruc- 
tion are  even  more  remarkable.  They  are  the  dread  of  all  living 
creatures,  from  the  elephant  to  the  smallest  insect.  They  do  not 
build  nests,  nor  do  they  lay  up  stores  for  future  use,  but  eat  their 
prey  on  the  spot.  It  is  their  habit  to  march  through  the  country 
in  a  long,  regular  line,  which  is  usually  two  inches  broad  and 
several  miles  in  length.  All  along  this  line  are  stationed,  at 
regular  distances,  larger  ants  that  act  as  officers  ;  they  march 
about  half  an  inch  from  the  line,  and  in  every  respect  act  like 
officers  keeping  their  men  in  order.  If  they  come  to  a  place 
where  there  are  no  trees  to  shelter  them  from  the  sun,  whose 
heat  they  cannot  bear,  they  immediately  build  underground 
tunnels,  through  which  the  whole  army  passes  in  columns  to  the 
forest  beyond.  These  columns  are  four  or  five  feet  underground, 
and  are  used  only  in  the  heat  of  the  day  or  during  a  storm. 
When  they  get  hungry  the  long  file  spreads  itself  through  the 
forest  in  a  front  line,  and  attacks  and  devours  all  it  comes  to 
with  a  fury  that  is  quite  irresistible.  The  elephant  and  gorilla 
35 


546  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

fly  before  this  attack.  The  black  men  run  for  their  lives. 
Every  animal  that  lives  in  their  line  of  march  is  chased.  They 
seem  to  understand  and  act  upon  the  tactics  of  Napoleon,  and 
concentrate,  with  great  speed,  their  heaviest  forces  upon  the 
point  of  attack.  In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  mouse, 
or  dog,  or  leopard,  or  deer,  is  overwhelmed,  killed,  eaten,  and 
the  bare  skeleton  only  remains. 

Thev  seem  to  travel  night  and  day.  "Many  a  time,"  says 
Du  Chaillu,  "have  I  been  awakened  out  of  a  sleep  and  obliged 
to  rush  from  the  hut  and  into  the  water  to  save  my  life,  and  after 
all  suffered  intolerable  agony  from  the  bites  of  the  advance-guard, 
which  had  got  into  my  clothes."  When  they  enter  a  house  they 
clear  it  of  all  living  things.  Roaches  are  devoured  in  an  instant. 
Rats  and  mice  spring  round  the  room  in  vain.  An  overwhelming 
force  of  ants  kills  a  strong  rat  in  less  than  a  minute,  in  spite  of 
the  most  frantic  struggles,  and  in  less  than  another  minute  its 
bones  are  stripped.  Every  living  thing  in  the  house  is  devoured. 
They  will  not  touch  vegetable  matter.  Thus  they  are  in  reality 
very  useful  (as  well  as  dangerous)  to  the  negroes,  who  have 
their  huts  cleaned  of  all  the  abounding  vermin,  such  as  immense 
roaches  and  centipedes,  at  least  several  times  a  year. 

When  on  their  march  the  insect  world  flies  before  them. 
Wherever  they  go  they  make  a  clean  sweep,  even  ascending  to 
the  tops  of  the  highest  trees  in  pursuit  of  their  prey.  Their 
manner  of  attack  is  an  impetuous  leap.  Instantly  the  strong 
pincers  are  fastened,  and  they  only  let  go  when  the  piece  gives 
way.  At  such  times  this  little  animal  seems  animated  by  a  kind 
of  fury  which  causes  it  to  disregard  entirely  its  own  safety,  and 
to  seek  only  the  conquest  of  its  prey.  The  bite  is  very  painful. 

Two  very  remarkable  practices  of  theirs  remain  to  be  related. 
When,  on  their  line  of  march,  they  must  cross  a  stream,  they 
throw  themselves  across  and  form  a  tunnel — a  living  tunnel — 
connecting  two  trees  or  high  bushes  on  opposite  sides  of  the  little 
stream.  This  is  done  with  great  speed, .and  is  effected  by  a  great 
number  of  ants,  each  of  which  clings  with  its  fore-claws  to  its 
next  neighbor's  body  or  hind-claws.  Thus  they  form  a  high, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  547 

safe  tubular  bridge,  through  which  the  whole  vast  regiment 
marches  in  regular  order.  If  disturbed,  or  if  the  arch  is  broken 
by  the  violence  of  some  animal,  they  instantly  attack  the  offender 
with  the  greatest  animosity. 

THE    GORILLA   DANCE. 

DURING  one  of  his  visits  to  the  cannibal  country  Du  Chaillu 
was  entertained  by  a  gorilla  dance,  which  was  one  of  the  most 
grotesque  and  wonderful  exhibitions  he  ever  witnessed.  Among 
the  natives  was  a  man  named  Etia,  whose  skin  was  like  that  of 
an  alligator,  all  horny  and  wrinkled  ;  his  left  hand  had  been  crip- 
pled by  the  teeth  of  a  gorilla,  and  his  countenance  was  almost  as 
hideous  as  the  face  of  that  terrible  beast.  In  a  house  allotted  to 
slaves,  three  old  men,  their  faces  grotesquely  chalked,  played 
the  drum,  the  sounding  log,  and  the  one-stringed  harp.  To  them 
danced  Etia,  imitating  the  uncouth  movements  of  the  gorilla. 
Then  the  iron  bell  was  rung,  and  Ombuiri,  the  Evil  Spirit,  was 
summoned  to  attend,  and  a  hoarse  rattle  mingled  with  the  other 
sounds.  Three  other  dancers  now  rushed  yelling  into  the  midst, 
and  sprang  into  the  air.  There  would  be  a  pause,  broken  only 
by  the  faint,  slow  tinkling  of  the  harp;  then  the  measure  grew 
quicker  and  quicker,  and  the  drum  would  be  beaten,  and  the  sticks 
thundered  on  the  log.  Etia  assumed  the  various  attitudes  pecu- 
liar to  the  ape.  Now  he  would  be  seated  on  the  ground,  his  legs 
apart,  his  hands  resting  on  his  knees,  his  head  drooping,  and  in 
his  face  the  vacant  expression  of  the  brute  ;  sometimes  he  folded 
his  arms  on  his  forehead.  Suddenly  he  would  raise  his  head  with 
prone  ears  and  flaming  eyes,  while  a  loud  shout  of  applause  would 
prove  how  natural  it  was.  In  the  chorus  all  the  dancers  assumed 
such  postures  as  these,  while  Etia,  climbing  ape-like  up  the  pole 
which  supported  the  roof,  towered  above  them  all. 

In  the  third  dance  he  imitated  the  gorilla  being  attacked  and 
killed.  The  man  who  played  the  hunter  inimitably  acted 
terror  and  irresolution  before  he  pulled  the  trigger  of  his  imag- 
inary gun.  Etia,  as  gorilla,  charged  upon  all-fours,  and  fell  dead 
at  the  man's  feet,  in  the  act  of  attempting  to  seize  him  with  one 
hand. 


548 


THE    WORLD  S    WCTNDERS . 


Nothing  short  of  an  actual  gorilla  hunt  could  have  been  more 
realistic,  and  it  made  such  an  impression  upon  Du  Chaillu  that 
he  could  not  close  his  eyes  in  sleep  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  the  dance  having  been  kept  up  until  nearly  morning. 


THE    CANNIBAL    QUEEN    TEMBANDUMBA. 

THE  history  of  the  cannibal  queen  Tembandumba,  of  the 
Congo  country,  as  related  by  Du  Chaillu,  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  thrilling  ever  placed  on  record.  Donji,  who  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  549 

a  captain  in  the  army  of  the  great  King  Zinibo,  of  the  Jaga 
tribe,  had  a  daughter  by  his  wife  Mussasa,  whom  he  named  Tem- 
bandumba.  On  the  death  of  King  Zimbo  his  empire  was  divided 
into  petty  principalities  among  his  officers,  one  of  which  was 
governed  by  Donji.  He  having  also  died,  his  wife  Mussasa  con- 
tinued his  enterprises  and  conquests.  She  was  a  skillful  warrior 
and  extremely  cruel  and  bloodthirsty.  She  gave  her  daughter 
the  education  of  a  warrior;  and  these  two  women,  at  the  head 
of  their  army,  were  always  the  first  to  charge  the  enemy  and 
the  last  to  retreat.  Mussasa  was  so  struck  with  her  daughter's 

O 

courage,  wisdom,  and  endurance,  that  she  gave  her  command  of 
half  the  troops.  Tembandumba,  having  gained  several  victories, 
and  now  confident  of  her  superior  genius,  no  longer  deigned  to 
listen  to  her  mother's  advice.  A  lioness  in  war,  she  became  a 
tigress  in  passion  ;  savage  in  her  wantonness — at  once  voluptuous 
and  bloodthirsty — she  admitted  a  crowd  of  lovers  to  her  arms, 
and  killed  them  with  the  cruelest  tortures  as  soon  as  her  lusts 
were  satisfied .  Her  mother  having  remonstrated  with  her  respect- 
ing these  excesses,  she  openly  rebelled,  and  proclaimed  herself 
queen  of  the  Jagas.  Following  now  in  the  footsteps  of  the  great 
Zimbo,  she  determined  to  turn  the  world  into  a  wilderness.  She 
would  kill  all  the  animals,  burn  all  the  forests,  and  destroy  all 
vegetable  food,  so  that  the  only  sustenance  of  her  subjects  should 
be  the  flesh  of  man,  and  his  blood  their  drink. 

In  a  furious  harangue  to  Amazon  warriors  she  commanded 
that  all  male  children,  all  twins,  and  all  infants  whose  upper 
teeth  appeared  before  their  lower  ones,  should  be  killed  by  their 
own  mothers.  From  their  bodies  an  ointment  should  be  made 
in  the  way  which  she  would  show.  The  female  children  should 
be  reared  and  instructed  in  war  ;  and  male  prisoners,  before  being 
killed  and  eaten,  should  be  used  for  purposes  of  procreation,  so 
that  there  might  be  no  future  lack  of  female  warriors.  Having 
concluded  her  harangue,  this  young  woman  seized  her  own  child, 
which  was  feeding  at  her  breast,  flung  him  into  a  mortar,  and 
pounded  him  to  a  pulp.  She  threw  this  into  a  large  earthen  pot, 
adding  roots,  leaves,  and  oils,  and  made  the  whole  into  an  oint- 


550 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ment,  with  which  she  rubbed  herself  before  them  all,  telling  them 
that  this  would  render  her  invulnerable,  and  that  now  she  could 
subdue  the  universe.  Immediately  her  subjects,  seized  with  a 
savage  enthusiasm,  massacred  all  their  male  children,  and  immense 
quantities  of  this  human  ointment  were  made. 


Tembandumba  wished  to  found  an  empire  of  Amazons,  suclv  as 
we  read  of  as  existing  among  the  Scythians,  in  the  forests  of 
South  America,  and  in  Central  Africa.  She  not  only  enjoined 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  551 

the  massacre  of  male  children  ;  she  forbade  the  eating  of  woman's 
flesh.  But  she  hud  to  conquer  an  instinct  in  order  to  carry  out 
her  views ;  she  fought  against  nature,  and  in  time  she  was  sub- 
dued. As  she  grew  older  she  became  more  cruel,  more  lustful, 
and  more  capricious.  She  embraced  a  lover  one  day,  and  dined 
off  him  the  next.  But  finally  she  fell  in  love  with  a  young  man 
named  Culemba,  a  private  soldier  in  her  army.  He  was  strong 
and  finely  proportioned;  cruel,  bloodthirsty  and  remorselesSo 
He  possessed  all  the  arts  of  flattery  and  insinuation.  He  studied 
the  nature  of  this  extraordinary  woman,  and  gained  such  influ- 
ence over  her  that  she  married  him  publicly,  and  gave  him  the 
half  of  her  throne  and  kingdom. 

In  the  course  of  time  she  began  to  tire  of  married  life.  She 
yawned  sometimes,  and  Culemba  knew  that  such  yawns  meant 
danger  to  him  ;  she  had  begun  to  study  his  beautiful  form  as  a 
gourmand  rather  than  as  a  lover.  He  hesitated  no  longer,  but 
inviting  her  to  a  grand  feast,  he  entertained  her  magnificently  on 
the  bodies  of  roasted  infants  and  palm-wine  served  in  the  skulls 
of  her  enemies.  She  drank  the  wine  and  died  on  the  spot, 

Culemba  displayed  such  violent  grief,  being  scarcely  restrained 
from  killing  himself  upon  her  body,  that  no  one  supposed  he  had 
poisoned  her.  She  was  buried  on  a  high  hill,  where  a  large  vault 
was  excavated  and  divided  into  several  cells,  which  were  furnished 
with  the  finest  mats  and  skins.  Her  favorite  drinks  and  dishes 
were  placed  there.  Clothed  in  her  warrior's  dress,  she  was 
buried  sitting  on  her  throne  in  a  commanding  attitude.  Her 
body  was  accompanied  to  the  grave  by  an  army  ;  a  herd  of  vic- 
tims were  sacrificed  ;  the  musical  instruments  made  a  sound  like 
thunder;  and  above  all  rose  the  cries  of  the  unhappy  Culemba, 
who  succeeded  to  the  throne. 

EXECUTION    OF    WOMEN   ACCUSED    OF   WITCHCRAFT. 

WHILE  Du  Chaillu  was  among  the  Bakalai  people  he  was  made 
a  witness  of  many  barbaric  sights,  but  none  that  affected  him  so 
much  as  the  following:  At  the  village  of  Gournbi,  an  old  friend 
of  Du  Chaillu's,  named  Mpomo,  was  taken  violently  ill,  and  his 
condition  was  very  much  aggravated  by  the  unearthly  noises 


552 


THE  WORLD'S  \VONJ>ERS. 


made  by  the  natives  to  drive  the  devil  out  of  him.  The  pool 
fellow  could  not  survive  the  effects  of  the  disease  and  noises 
combined,  and  after  a  short  illness  he  died.  On  such  occasions 
it  is  the  custom  of  the  dying  man's  head  wife  to  throw  herself 
by  him  on  the  bed  ;  then,  encircling  his  body  with  her  arms,  she 
sings  to  him  songs  of  love  and  pours  a  torrent  of  endearing 
phrases  into  his  ears,  while  the  friends  standing  near  utter  wail- 
ings  of  a  very  mournful  character.  Such  a  scene  is  always  touch- 
ing. After  a  husband  dies  the  wives  sit  upon  the  ground  throwing 


GROUP  OF  WOMEN  AT  THE  GRAVE  OF   A  DEAD  HUSBAND. 

moistened  ashes  and  dust  over  their  bodies,  and  shave  their  heads 
and  rend  their  clothes. 

On  the  day  Mpomo  was  buried  proceedings  were  begun  to  dis- 
cover the  persons  who  had  bewitched  the  poor  fellow.  A  great 
doctor  was  brought  from  up  the  river,  and  for  two  nights  and 
days  the  village  was  in  an  uproar  of  excitement.  At  last,  on  the 
third  morning,  when  the  turmoil  was  at  its  height — when  old  and 
young,  male  and  female,  were  frantic  with  the  desire  for  revenge 
on  the  sorcerers,  the  doctor  assembled  them  about  him  in  the 


THI  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  553 

center  of  the  town,  and  began  his  final  incantation,  which  should 
disclose  the  names  of  the  murderous  sorcerers.  Every  man  and 
boy  was  armed,  some  with  spears,  some  with  swords,  some  with 
guns  and  axes,  and  on  every  face  was  shown  a  determination  to 
wreak  bloody  revenge  on  those  who  should  be  pointed  out  as  the 
criminals.  The  whole  town  was  wrapt  in  an  indescribable  fury 
and  horrid  thirst  for  human  blood.  After  a  certain  devilish  cere- 
mony the  infernal  doctor  commanded  silence,  while  he  said  : 

"  There  is  a  very  black  woman,  who  lives  in  a  house  (describ- 
ing its  location)  ;  she  bewitched  Mpomo." 

Scarcely  had  he  ceased  speaking,  when  the  crowd,  raving  and 
screaming  like  so  many  infuriated  beasts,  rushed  frantically  for 
the  place  indicated.  They  seized  upon  a  poor  girl  named  Okan- 
daga,  who  was  the  sister  of  Du  Chaillu's  guide  and  friend, 
Adonma.  Waving  their  weapons  over  her  head,  they  bore  her 
away  to  the  water-side.  Here  she  was  quickly  bound  with  cords, 
and  then  all  rushed  away  to  the  diabolical  doctor  again. 

The  ceremony  was  repeated  as  before,  and  the  doctor  accused 
anotner  woman,  who  was  likewise  seized.  He  continued  his  accu- 
sations until  half-a-dozen  poor  wretches  were  brought  to  judg- 
ment, which  was  execution  by  beheading.  A  large  canoe  was 
next  brought,  in  which  the  victims  were  placed,  with  the  execu- 
tioners, doctor,  and  several  armed  persons.  The  poison-cup, 
called  mboundon,  was  handed  to  each.  Poor  Okandaga  was  a 
picture  of  despair  as  her  brother  handed  the  chalice  to  her  ;  the 
cries  she  uttered  were  pitiful  to  hear,  for  life  was  lovely  to  her, 
and  innocence  only  rendered  her  more  sensitive  to  her  fate.  All, 
however,  were  forced  to  take  the  poison,  which,  in  a  moment, 
produced  an  intoxication,  when  the  headsmen  began  their  bloody 
work,  literally  hacking  off  the  heads  of  the  accused  with  a  short 
knife,  which  was  so  light  that  several  strokes  were  required  to 
complete  the  horrible  butchery.  After  their  heads  were  stricken 
off,  the  bodies  were  cut  into  small  pieces  and  scattered  over  the 
water,  a  ceremony  which  is  supposed  to  destroy  their  power  to 
work  evil  in  their  spiritual  condition. 


554 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


A    NATION    OF    DWAICTf . 

WHILE  traveling  in  the  Apingi  country,  Du  Chaillu  heard  that 


there  was  a  village  of  the  Obongos,  or  dwarfed  wild  negroes, 
not  far  distant,  and  he  decided  to  visit  these  singular  specimens 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  555 

of  humanity.  His  guides  advised  him  to  take  a  small  party,  so 
as  to  make  but  little  noise,  for  the  dwarfs  were  very  wild  and 
would  run  as  soon  as  they  saw  a  stranger.  Securing  a  few 
guides,  he  set  out  and  in  due  time  came  upon  a  dwarf  village,  in 
a  secluded  part  of  the  woods,  consisting  of  twelve  singular  little 
huts  constructed  of  the  branches  of  trees.  But  the  inhabitants 
had  observed  the  approach  of  the  strangers  and  fled. 

Leaving  the  abandoned  huts,  they  continued  their  way  through 
the  forest ;  and  presently,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  they  came 
on  another  village,  composed,  like  the  first,  of  about  a  dozen 
ill-constructed  huts,  scattered  about,  without  any  regular  order, 
in  a  small  open  space.  The  dwellings  had  been  newly  made,  for 
the  branches  of  trees  of  which  they  were  formed  had  still  their 
leaves  on  them,  quite  fresh.  Approaching  with  the  greatest 
caution,  in  order  not  to  alarm  the  wild  inmates,  the  Ashango 
guide  held  up  a  bunch  of  beads  in  a  friendly  way  ;  but  all  this 
care  was  fruitless,  for  the  men  had  gone  when  they  came  up. 
Their  flight  was  hurried.  Hastening  to  the  huts,  they  luckily 
found  three  old  women  and  one  young  man,  who  had  not  had 
time  to  run  away,  besides  several  children,  the  latter  being  hid 
in  one  of  the  huts. 

The  little  holes  which  served  as  doors  were  closed  by  fresh- 
gathered  branches  of  trees,  with  their  foliage,  stuck  in  the 
ground.  Du  Chaillu  finally  succeeded  in  approaching  the  tremb- 
ling creatures,  their  powers  of  motion  seeming  to  be  paralyzed 
by  fear.  One  of  the  old  women,  in  the  course  of  a  short  time, 
lost  all  her  shyness,  and  began  to  ridicule  the  men  for  having 
run  away.  She  said  they  were  as  timid  as  the  nchende  (squirrel), 
who  cried  "  que  !  que  !"  and  she  twisted  her  little  body  into  odd 
contortions  with  such  droll  effect  that  they  all  laughed.  But 
when  Du  Chaillu  attempted  to  measure  her  with  his  tape-line 
she  imagined  it  was  some  sort  of  a  s-nake,  and  trembled  so 
violently  that  he  was  compelled  to  desist  until  her  fears  were 
again  quieted. 

During  subsequent  visits  to  the  little  people  he  succeeded  in 
measuring  several  of  them,  and  found  that  they  averaged  about 


550 


THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


4  feet  3  inches  in  height.  Their  color  was  a  dirty  yellow,  and 
their  eyes  had  an  untameable  wildness  about  them  that  was 
remarkable.  They  held  no  intercourse  with  other  tribes,  but 


intermarried  among  themselves,  frequently  sister  with  brother, 
so  as  to  keep  their  families  together.  Their  foreheads  were 
exceedingly  low  and  narrow,  and  their  legs  were  very  short  in 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS.  Oo7 

proportion  to  their  bodies ;  the  palms  of  their  hands  were  white. 
Their  arms,  legs,  and  breasts  were  thickly  covered  with  hair, 
which  grew  in  curly  tufts  like  that  on  their  heads.  They  plant 
nothing,  and  depend  partly  for  their  vegetable  food  on  roots, 
berries,  and  nuts,  which  they  find  in  the  forest ;  indeed,  the  men 
spend  most  of  their  days  and  many  of  their  nights  in  the  woods, 
and  their  excessive  shyness  is  probably  due  in  part  to  this  fact. 
Their  appetite  for  animal  food  is  more  like  that  of  a  carnivorous 
beast  than  that  of  a  man.  They  trap  leopards,  wild  boars,  ante- 
lope, and  monkeys,  and  devour  the  carcasses  like  ravenous 
animals.  Their  traps  were  placed  so  thickly  around  their  villages 
that  on  several  occasions  Du  Chaillu  had  his  legs  caught  in  them. 

These  dwarfs  are  entirely  unlike  those  encountered  by  Stanley 
on  the  Congo  river.  The  latter  were  fierce  and  desperate  canni- 
bals, while  those  seen  by  Du  Chaillu  were  very  timid  and  mild, 
and,  though  exceedingly  fond  of  meat,  were  never  known  to  eat 
human  flesh. 

The  Akka  tribe  of  dwarfs,  who  inhabit  a  country  several  hun- 
dred miles  west  of  Gondokoro,  are  also  described  as  being  canni- 
bals, but  not  fierce  like  those  seen  by  Stanley.  Col.  Long, 
previously  mentioned  as  one  of  Gen.  Gordon's  staff  officers,  led 
an  expedition  into  this  country  in  1875,  and  captured  several  of 
these  people.  One  of  them,  a  female,  was  at  first  very  much 
alarmed,  and  refused  to  eat  for  several  days,  assigning  as  a  reason 
that  if  she  became  fat  the  white  man  would  eat  her.  She  was 
entirely  naked  except  a  small  covering  of  leaves  before  and 
behind,  even  less  extensive  than  the  fig-leaf  covering  mentioned 
in  the  Bible.  When  she  saw  that  the  white  man  did  not  intend 
to  eat  her  she  grew  tamer,  and  eventually  became  very  docile 
and  communicative.  Her  people  live  in  the  high  jungle  grass, 
and  are  armed  with  little  spears  with  which  they  attack  and  slay 
the  elephant  and  other  game  ;  but  they  very  rarely  engage  in  war 
with  other  tribes.  They  are  about  the  same  size  as  the  dwarfs 
described  by  Stanley  and  Du  Chaillu. 


558  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

THE  GREAT  KING  MDNZA. 

THE  Akkas  have  been  conquered  by  King  Munza,  of  the  Mon- 
ti uttoo  tribe,  and  are  now  his  subjects.  This  African  monarch  is 
second  in  power  and  wealth  only  to  Mtesa,  of  Uganda,  but  is 
grossly  addicted  to  cannibalism.  A  distinguished  traveler  who 


THE  GREAT   KING   MUNZA. 


recently  visited  his  country,  and  was  received  with  royal  honors 
by  the  king  on  his  throne,  says  : 

"  I  was  intensely  interested  in  gazing  at  the  strange  weird- 
looking  sovereign,  of  whom  it  was  commonly  reported  that  his 
daily  food  was  human  flesh.  With  arms  and  legs,  neck  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  559 

breast,  all  bedizened  with  copper  rings,  chains,  and  other  strange 
devices,  and  with  a  great  copper  crescent  at  the  top  of  his  head, 
the  potentate  gleamed  with  a  skimmer  that  was  to  our  ideas 
unworthy  of  royalty,  but  savored  far  too  much  of  the  magazines 
of  civic  opulence,  reminding  one  almost  unavoidably  of  a  well- 
kept  kitchen  !  His  appearance,  however,  was  decidedly  marked 
with  his  nationality,  for  every  adornment  that  he  had  about  him 
belonged  exclusely  to  Central  Africa,  as  none  but  the  fabrications 
of  his  native  land  are  deemed  worthy  of  adorning  the  person  of 
a  king  of  the  Monbuttoo. 

"  Agreeably  to  the  national  fashion,  a  plumed  hat  rested  on 
the  top  of  his  chignon,  and  soared  a  foot  and  a  half  above  his 
head  ;  this  hat  was  a  narrow  cylinder  of  closely-plaited  reeds  ;  it 
was  ornamented  with  three  layers  of  red  parrots'  feathers,  and 
crowned  with  a  plume  of  the  same  ;  there  was  no  brim,  but  the 
copper  crescent  projected  from  the  front  like  the  vizor  of  a  Nor- 
man helmet.  The  muscles  of  Munza's  ears  were  pierced,  and 
copper  bars  a?  thick  as  the  finger  inserted  in  the  cavities.  The 
entire  body  was  smeared  with  the  native  unguent  of  powdered 
cam-wood,  which  converted  the  original  bright  brown  tint  of  his 
skin  into  the  color  that  is  so  conspicuous  in  ancient  Pompeian 
halls.  His  single  garment  consisted  of  a  large  piece  of  fig-bark 
impregnated  with  the  same  dye  that  served  as  his  cosmetic,  and 
this,  falling  in  graceful  folds  about  his  body,  formed  breeches 
and  waistcoat  all  in  one.  Around  the  king's  neck  hung  a  copper 
ornament  made  in  little  points  which  radiated  like  beams  over  his 
chest ;  on  his  bare  arms  were  strange-looking  pendants  which  in 
shape  could  only  be  compared  to  drumsticks  with  rings  at  the 
end.  Halfway  up  the  lower  part  of  the  arms  and  just  below  the 
knee  were  three  bright,  horny-looking  circlets  cut  out  of  hippo- 
potamus-hide, likewise  tipped  with  copper.  As  a  symbol  of  his 
dignity,  Munza  wielded  in  his  right  hand  the  sickle-shaped  Mon- 
buttoo scimitar,  in  this  case  only  an  ornamental  weapon,  and 
made  of  pure  copper." 


560 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ADVENTURE   WITH    A    BOA    CONSTRICTOR. 

AFTER  leaving  the  country  of  the  dwarfs,  while  hunting  wild 
pigs  one  day,  in  thick,  tangled  grass,  in  company  with  several  of 


his  men,  Du  Chaillu  met  with  an  adventure  of  a  peculiar  char- 
acter, and  which  made  a  lasting  impression  on  his  mind.  They 
had  been  out  several  hours,  when,  hearing  the  grunts  of  a  herd 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  501 

of  pigs,  they  sprang  behind  trees  to  await  their  approach.  In  his 
haste  Du  Chaillu  stumbled  over  some  large  object  lying  in  his 
path,  and  looking  down,  he  was  horrified  to  see  an  immense  ser- 
pent of  the  boa  species  snugly  coiled  up  beside  the  roots  of  his 
tree.  The  thing  was  in  a  state  of  stupefaction,  consequent  upon 
having  eaten  too  heavy  a  dinner.  It  scarcely  moved,  and  did  not 
raise  its  head.  Securing  a  heavy  cutlass,  carried  by  one  of  his 
men',  at  a  single  blow  he  cut  the  reptile  almost  in  two,  when  it 
began  to  squirm  in  a  most  horrible  fashion,  and  soon  ejected  a 
small  deer  which  it  had  swallowed. 

After  killing  the  serpent  they  proceeded  with  the  hunt,  and 
having  secured  sufficient  game,  returned  to  a  neighboring  village 
to  spend  the  night.  Just  before  dark,  Du  Chaillu  was  astonished 
to  see  a  party  of  his  men  approaching  with  the  dead  snake  in  their 
arms  ;  they  had  brought  it  to  camp  for  the  purpose  of  having 
a  grand  feast,  as  they  consider  the  flesh  of  the  serpent  superior 
to  any  other  kind  of  meat. 

In  1867  Du  Chaillu  returned  to  America,  where  he  published  a 
history  of  his  wonderful  adventures,  which  elicited  the  profound 
attention  of  the  civilized  world.  Since  then  he  has  traveled  and 
lectured  extensively  in  the  United  States,  and  has  also  written 
much  for  the  press.  During  the  years  1872—73  he  traveled 
through  Sweden,  Norway,  Lapland  and  Finland,  returning  to 
New  York  in  1873,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

36 


562 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDKKS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS, 


THE  POLAR  REGIONS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  restless  spirit  of  man,  though  limited  to  a  definable  com- 
pass of  action,  is  yet  boundless  as  the  universe.  Over  his  small 
sphere  no  danger  checks  the  mad  ambition  of  his  curiosity,  and 
chafing  under  the  restraints  of  this  earth,  he  creates  new  worlds 
in  which  to  continue  his  search  for  the  unknowable.  Whether  in 
Tropic  heat  or  Polar  cold,  through  the  fogs  and  fens  of  lurking 
death,  or  the  roseate  and  jocund  beams  of  inviting  salubrity,  the 
beacon  of  his  ambition  is  at  all  times  equally  bright,  and  causes 
him  to  tread  dangerous  paths  with  heart  as  proud  as  when  he 
walks  the  easy  road  of  safety. 

The  rigors  of  the  distant  North,  around  which  gather  the  per- 
petual mists  of  secrecy,  where  Ithuriel  guards,  with  flaming 
spears  of  polar  light,  the  regions  of  eternal  ice  and  boding  night, 
do  not  quench  the  noble  resolution  of  man,  who  must  knock  at 
every  door  that  encloses  one  of  nature's  secrets  ;  even  Ithuriel' s 
spears  are  fended  by  the  bold  knights  of  discovery,  who  charge 
on  until  they  fall  before  the  walls  which  forever  limit  the  foot- 
steps of  mankind.  Many,  yea  !  many,  go  out  upon  the  highway 
tier  the  bleak  and  barren  North,  no  more  to  return  to  relate  around 
the  fireside  of  happy  homes  their  adventures  on  the  frozen 
HI 


564  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

wastes,  or  to  tell  of  the  fierce  light  which  flashes  around  the 
northern  sphinx ;  yet  they  have  not  died  in  vain,  for  the  glory 
that  crowns  the  human  race  is  composed  of  the  daring  deeds  of 
the  heroic  few.  Like  a  king  who  sends  his  armies  into  battle 
under  brave  leaders,  who  return  again  laden  with  the  trophies  of 
signal  victory :  by  this  he  fortifies  his  throne  and  gathers  fresh 
honors  for  his  royal  name.  So  is  it  with  the  nation  that  bids 
farewell  to  her  heroic  sons  who  seek  new  fields  to  explore  ;  their 
deeds  are  the  trophies  of  a  greater  victory,  for  the  honor  falls 
upon  all  alike,  and  makes  men  proud  of  their  nativity.  What  is 
life,  save  as  we  estimate  it  for  results  accomplished?  It  is  but  a 
span  at  most,  but  may  be  made  glorious  and  fruitful  by  sacrifice. 
Therefore,  he  who  gives  his  life  in  an  undertaking  to  contribute 
to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge,  has  lived  usefully  and  dies 
heroically.  If  one  die  in  such  an  effort,  let  another  hero  take 
his  place  until  the  long  procession  at  length  shall  give  from  its 
ranks  a  victor.  So  shall  all  great  things  be  accomplished,  and  so 
shall  the  North  Pole  be  reached . 

A   SUMMARY   OF   POLAR   EXPEDITIONS. 

IT  is  a  singular  fact  that  Iceland  and  Greenland  were  inhabited 
and  comparatively  well-know  countries  before  America  was  dis- 
covered by  Columbus.  However,  as  to  the  discovery  of  America, 
this  honor  belongs  to  Columbus  only  as  the  second  discoverer, 
for  the  American  coast  as  far  south  as  Long  Island  was  known  to 
the  Sea  Kings  of  Norway  in  the  9th  and  10th  centuries.  In  the 
year  1000  a  Norwegian,  with  a  crew  of  Icelanders,  landed  on  the 
coast  of  Massachusetts,  which  he  named  Vinland.  They  also 
established  colonies  on  the  Greenland  coast  and  on  Spitzbergen, 
which  remained  highly  prosperous  for  several  centuries.  Ruins 
of  once  magnificent  churches  may  yet  be  seen  along  the  coast  of 
Greenland.  The  Icelanders  and  Northmen  were  the  first  arctic 
explorers.  But  as  these  colonies  finally  perished,  though  from 
what  cause  we  know  not,  no  trace  of  the  discoveries  made  by 
these  people  was  communicated  to  Europe,  so  that  Columbus  has 
the  honor,  in  no  wise  detracted  by  the  Norwegian  explorers,  of 
having  discovered  America. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  565 

In  1497  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot  landed  in  Labrador  and 
projected  a  voyage  to  the  North  Pole,  but  they  did  not  penetrate 
further  than  67°  30'  N.,  which  is  about  half-way  up  Davis  Strait. 
This  was  the  lirst  effort  ever  made  to  reach  the  North  Pole. 

In  1500—1502  the  Cortereal  brothers  made  three  voyages,  ex- 
tending as  far  as  60°  N.,  but  they  resulted  in  nothing  but  disaster 
and  loss  of  life.  Fifty  years  later  Sir  Hugh  Willoughby  was  sent 
out  by  the  Moscovy  Company  to  find  a  north-east  passage  to 
Cathay  and  Indis.  He  w:is  driven  back  by  ice,  after  reaching 
Nova  Zeinbla,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arzina  in  Lapland,  where  he 
and  liis  crew  perished  after  experiencing  untold  sufferings. 
This  was  the  first  effort  ever  made  to  find  a  north-west  passage. 

In  1576-8  Martin  Frobisher  made  three  voyages  to  the  north- 
west for  scientific  investigations,  but  beyond  discovering  the 
entrance  to  Hudson  and  Frobisher  Straits,  leading  into  Hudson 
Bay,  his  trips  were  without  importance.  These  were  the  first 
voyages  to  the  arctic  regions  for  scientific  purposes. 

In  1585—7  Davis  made  a  trip  to  the  far  north,  where  he 
discovered  the  strait  which  bears  his  name,  and  surveyed  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  Greenland  coast,  and  added  more  important 
accessions  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Polar  Sea  than  any  of  his 
predecessors.  William  Barentz  made  three  voyages  in  this 
direction  in  1594—6,  but  perished  during  the  third  on  Icy  Cape, 
\vithout  adding  anything  material  to  what  was  already  known  of 
the  arctic  regions. 

In  1607  Henry  Hudson  was  sent  out  by  the  Moscovy  Company 
with  orders  to  steer  directly  for  the  North  Pole,  but  after 
advancing  to  lat.  80°  his  further  progress  was  barred  by  an 
impassable  barrier  of  ice.  He  therefore  returned,  but  made 
another  voyage  a  year  later  in  quest  of  a  north-west  passage  to 
India,  but  was  again  forced  to  abandon  the  effort.  Still  enter- 
taining hope  of  success,  he  set  sail  for  the  third  time,  but 
again  finding  his  way  impeded  by  ice,  he  returned,  and  sailing 
westward  and  searching  along  the  American  coast,  discovered 
Hudson  Bay,  and  wintered  on  one  of  the  islands  in  the  mouth  of 
the  bay.  In  the  spring  of  1611  he  started  north  again,  but  his 


566  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

progress  was  beset  with  storms,  the  provisions  gave  out,  the 
crew  mutinied,  and  finally  a  portion  of  the  mutineers  returned  to 
England  without  Hudson,  whom  they  had  set  adrift  to  perish. 

In  1616  Baffin  explored  the  bay  which  bears  his  name  and 
entered  the  mouth  of  Lancaster  Sound.  His  survey  was  very 
exact  and  for  a  period  of  fifty  years  no  navigator  penetrated 
beyond  him.  In  the  meantime,  however,  two  Russian  expedi- 
tions were  sent  out,  but  beyond  first  observing  the  variations  of 
the  magnetic  needle,  their  voyages  were  without  results. 

In  1741  Behring  set  sail  from  a  Russian  harbor  in  Kamtchatka, 
discovered  the  strait  which  is  named  for  him,  but  died  before  he 
added  anything  new  to  polar  discoveries.  In  1760  Shalaroff, 
another  Russian,  attempted  a  north-west  passage,  but  he  perished 
from  starvation,  together  with  all  his  crew.  Two  more  Russian 
expeditions  were  started  from  North  Siberia,  one  under  Andreyeff, 
the  other  under  Capt.  Billings,  but  they  bore  no  fruits  worthy 
of  mention.  It  was  not  until  1820-' 23  that  any  effort  was 
made  to  reach  the  North  Pole  by  sledges,  when  Von  Wrangell 
and  Anjon  undertook  to  make  the  journey  in  that  way.  They 
proceeded  as  far  as  lat.  70°  51'  N.,  long.  152°  25'  w.,  and  reported 
an  open  sea  in  the  distant  north,  which  precluded  further 
'  operations  with  sledges. 

Hudson  Bay  was  still  considered  as  being  a  great  outlet  toward 
the  northwest,  and  in  1743  the  British  Parliament  offered  a 
reward  of  $100,000  to  any  one  who  should  accomplish  a  north- 
west passage  through  it.  Expeditions  now  followed  one  another 
almost  annually,  but  generally  without  any  beneficial  results.  In 
1769-73  Samuel  Hearne  made  three  overland  journeys,  in  one  of 
which  he  discovered  Coppermine  River  and  traced  it  to  its  mouth. 
In  1773  Capt.  Phipps  (Lord  Mulgrove)  went  as  far  north  as 
Hudson  had  reached.  Capt.  Cook  followed  in  1776  on  his  last 
expedition,  but  he  only  reached  lat.  70°  45'. 

In  1789  Mackenzie,  in  a  land  expedition,  discovered  and  traced 
to  its  mouth  the  great  river  which  was  named  in  his  honor.  In 
1818  two  more  expeditions  were  dispatched  to  find  a  north-west 
passage :  one  of  these  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Ross  and  Lieut. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  567 

Parry,  and  the  other  under  Capt.  Buchan  and  Lieut.  (Sir  John) 
Franklin,  but  they  encountered  so  much  ice  in  lat.  80°  34'  that 
one  of  the  vessels  was  badly  shattered,  forcing  them  to  return. 
In  the  following  year  Lieut.  Parry  started  again  rea'.ly  to 
determine  whether  Lancaster  was  a  sound  or  a  bay,  a  question  of 
so  much  dispute  among  geographers  at  the  time.  He  approached 
so  near  the  magnetic  pole  that  his  compass  became  useless,  but 
he  sailed  on  and  passed  the  110th  meridian,  thereby  entitling  him 
toaieward  of  $25,000  which  Parliament  had  offered  for  this 
achievement. 

In  1819  Sir  John  Franklin  set  out  on  an  overland  journey  to 
explore  the  north  coast  of  America,  and  was  followed  by  Lieut. 
Parry  in  1821,  with  an  understanding  that  the  two  expeditions 
would  co-operate,  should  the  latter  reach  the  north  coast.  Frank- 
lin made  a  foot  journey  of  856  miles  through  such  intense  cold 
that  the  mercury  in  their  thermometer  froze  in  the  bulb.  In 
July,  1820,  they  traveled  500  miles  further  and  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  Fort  Enterprise  ;  here  they  remained  until  the  follow- 
ing year  and  then  started  again,  paddling  along  the  shore  in 
canoes  a  distance  of  550  miles,  and  ascended  Hood  River.  Their 
supplies  were  now  completely  exhausted,  and  to  sustain  life,  they 
were  compelled  to  eat  their  old  shoes  and  scraps  of  leather 
straps  ;  two  of  them,  however,  died  of  starvation,  but  the  others 
managed  by  eating  rock  mosses,  to  reach  York  Factory,  the 
place  of  starting.  Lieut.  Parry  was  unable  to  find  Franklin,  nor 
did  he  make  any  important  discoveries,  but  returned  home  in 
1823,  only  to  reorganize  another  expedition.  Franklin  also 
equipped  another,  while  two  others  were  fitted  out,  one  by  Capt. 
Beechey  and  the  other  by  Capt.  Lyon.  All  of  these  were 
despatched  in  different  directions,  but  each  was  expected  to  re- 
port at  Point  Turnagain,  where  they  might  co-operate  or  render 
mutual  assistance.  Parry  was  most  unfortunate,  for  his  progress 
was  continually  interrupted  by  vast  fields  of  ice,  by  which  one  of 
his  two  vessels  was  sunk.  However,  during  this  expedition  Parry 
devised  a  contrivance  whereby  the  compass  maybe  made  to  work 
perfectly  under  all  circumstances,  thus  obviating  a  most  serious 


568  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

difficulty  in  Arctic  navigation.  This  was  accomplished  by  simply 
placing  a  small  circular  plate  of  iron  near  the  compass.  Neither 
of  the  other  three  expeditions  made  any  discoveries,  nor  did  any 
of  them  meet,  but  each  party  met  with  great  difficulties  and 
experienced  intense  suffering. 

In  May,  1829,  Capt.  Ross  set  sail  in  the  steamer  victory,  with 
the  purpose  of  reaching  the  North  Pole,  if  possible,  but  chiefly 
to  make  scientific  investigations  at  all  eligible  points.  This  was 
the  first  voyage  to  the  north  ever  undertaken  in  a  steamer,  and  it 
served  to  prove  the  advantages  of  this  mode  of  navigation  over 
sails.  Ross  explored  300  miles  of  new  coast,  and  by  leaving  his 
vessel  and  taking  to  the  sledges,  he  reached  lat.  70°  5'  17",  and 
long.  96°  40'  45"  w.,  at  which  spot  he  fixed  the  position  of  the 
true  magnetic  pole.  Scurvy  appeared  among  the  crew  in  such  a 
virulent  form  that  he  hud  to  abandon  his  ship,  and  wander  about 
for  nearly  two  years  in  a  hopeless  state,  many  of  the  men  dying, 
and  all  suffering  from  cold  and  hunger.  They  were  finally  picked 
up  by  a  vessel  which  returned  them  to  the  Orkney  Islands. 

In  February,  1833,  Capt.  Bock  was  sent  out  in  search  of  Ross, 
but  shortly  afterward,  learning  of  his  friend's  safety,  continued 
on  toward  the  north  for  nearly  two  years,  but  his  voyage  was 
without  results  except  the  discovery  of  Victoria  Land.  On  May 
27,  1847,  Dr.  Rae,  sent  out  by  the  Hudson  Buy  Company, 
completed  the  entire  survey  of  the  north  coast  of  America,  with 
the  exception  of  Fury  and  Hecla  Straits. 

SIR   JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

THIS  brings  us  to  the  explorations  of  the  celebrated  Sir  John 
Franklin,  whose  eminent  services  and  tragic  death  in  the  Polar 
regions  merit  more  than  a  passing  notice.  This  distinguished 
explorer  was  born  at  Spilsby,  Lincolnshire,  England,  April  16, 
1786.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  a  respectable  yeoman,  who 
was  compelled  to  sell  his  estate  and  engage  in  trade.  John  was 
intended  for  the  clerical  profession,  but  had  such  a  consuming 
desire  to  follow  the  sea  that,  after  a  short  voyage  to  Lisbon,  his 
father  procured  his  admission  to  the  navy  as  midshipman,  at  the 
age  of  14  years.  He  accompanied  his  cousin,  Capt.  Flinders,  on 


TflE    WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


569 


an  expedition  sent  out  by  the  English  government  to  explore  the 
coast  of  Australia,  but  the  vessel  in  which  they  sailed  proved  un- 
seaworthy,  and  they  were  transferred  to  the  ship  Porpoise,  but 
their  Condition  was  by  no  means  improved,  for  that  vessel  was 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN. 

wrecked  August  18,  1803,  about  200  miles  from  the  Australian 
coast,  and  Franklin  and  his  companions  were  barely  saved  from 
drowning  by  escaping  to  a  sand-bank  600  feet  long,  on  which 
they  remained  fifty  days  at  the  imminent  risk  of  starvation,  be- 
fore relief  reached  them  from  Port  Jackson.  On  reaching  Eng- 


570  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

land,  he  joined  the  ship  of  the  line  JJellerophon,  and  in  1805 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  as  signal  midshipman.  Of 
the  40  persons  who  stood  round  him  on  the  poop,  only  seven 
escaped  unhurt.  He  also  served  in  a  similar  capacity  in  the  war 
of  1812-15  with  the  United  States,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
command  of  a  vessel  which  engaged  our  forces  at  New  Orleans, 
where  he  hoarded  one  of  our  small  boats  and  captured  her ;  he 
was  slightly  wounded,  and  for  his  gallant  act  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant.  In  the  year  1818,  the  British  government  fitted  out 
an  expedition  to  attempt  a  passage  to  India  by  crossing  the  Polar 
sea  north  of  Spitzbergen,  in  which  Franklin  was  given  command 
of  the  Trent,  one  of  the  two  vessels  sent  out.  He  was  forced  to 
return  after  reaching  latitude  80°  on  account  of  the  injuries 
received  by  his  companion-vessel,  the  Dorothea.  In  1819  he  was 
appointed  to  command  an  expedition  which  set  out  to  travel 
overland  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  make  a 
survey  of  the  American  coast.  He  returned  to  England  and 
shortly  after  was  made  post-captain  and  elected  a  Fellow  of  the 
Royal  Society.  In  1823  he  published,  "  Narrative  of  a  Journey 
to  the  Shores  of  the  Polar  Sea  in  1819-22,"  and  in  August  of 
the  same  year  married  Eleanor  Porden.  In  1825  he  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  another  expedition  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  On 
the  day  assigned  for  his  departure  his  wife  was  lying  at  the  point 
of  death  ;  she  begged  him  not  to  delay  on  her  account,  and  gave 
him  a  small  silk  flag  which  she  requested  him  to  hoist  when  he 
should  reach  the  polar  sea.  She  died  the  day  he  sailed.  He 
returned  home  in  September,  1827,  and  in  March  following  mar- 
ried Jane  Griffin,  who  was  afterward  the  celebrated  Lady  Frank- 
lin. In  the  same  year  he  published  his  "  Narrative  of  a  Second 
Expedition  to  the  Shores  of  the  Polar  Sea  — 1825-27,"  and  in 
the  following  year  was  knighted  and  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Civil  Law  from  Oxford  University,  and  the  gold  medal  from 
the  Geographical  Society  of  Paris.  In  1836  Franklin  was  made 
governor  of  Van  Dieman's  Land,  in  which  office  he  continued 
until  1843,  when  the  Colonial  Legislature  voted  an  increase  in  the 
governor's  salary  ;  Sir  John  refused  to  accept  it,  but  secured  it  for 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  571 

his  successor,  Long;  afterward,  the  colonists,  in  remembrance 
of  his  great  and  beneficent  services,  voted  a  contribution  of 
$8,000,  which  was  sent  to  Lady  Franklin  to  assist  in  paying  the 
expenses  of  the  search  for  her  missing  husband. 

The  greatest  ambition  of  Franklin's  life  was  to  discover  a 
northwest  passage,  and  in  this  desire  he  was  much  encouraged 
by  the  confidence  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  English  public  and 
government  as  well.  On  May  19,  1845,  he  sailed  again  for  the 
North  in  the  good  steam  screw  propeller  Erebus,  accompanied 
by  a  similar  vessel,  the  Terror,  commanded  by  Captain  Richard 
Crozier.  A  tender,  carrying  provisions,  bore  them  company  as 
far  as  Davis  Strait,  where  stores  were  landed  sufficient  to  last 
the  expedition  for  three  years.  On  July  26,  1845,  the  two 
steamers  were  sighted  by  a  whale  ship  in  lat.  74°  48',  and  long. 
66°  13',  about  the  center  of  Baffin's  Bay,  anchored  to  an  iceberg, 
awaiting  an  opening  into  Lancaster  Sound.  This  is  the  last  time 
either  of  the  vessels  was  ever  seen.  So  much  anxiety  was  felt 
for  their  safety  after  the  expiration  of  three  years,  that  in  1848 
three  expeditions  were  sent  out  to  search  for  them.  These 
meeting  with  no  success,  in  1850  three  more  expeditions  were 
dispatched,  but  these,  too,  returned  without  finding  any  trace  of 
the  lost  explorers.  In  1849  the  British  government  offered 
$100,000  to  any  private  exploring  party,  from  any  country,  who 
should  render  efficient  aid  to  the  missing  crews.  Under  this 
stimulus  no  less  than  eight  other  expeditions,  consisting  of  twelve 
vessels  in  all,  started  in  search  of  Franklin  ;  one  of  these  was 
sent  by  the  United  States  government,  chiefly  through  the  influ- 
ence of  Henry  Grinnell  ;  the  English  government  equipped 
another  ;  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  another  ;  while  Lady  Frank- 
lin sent  one  entirely  at  her  own  expense,  and  bore  two-thirds  of 
the  expense  of  another ;  while  a  final  expedition  was  equipped 
by  public  subscription,  this  last  one  being  commanded  by  Sir 
John  Ross. 

Capt.  Shepherd  Osborne,  in  charge  of  the  Hudson  Bay  expe- 
dition, came  upon  the  first  traces  of  the  missing  explorers  on  the 
23d  of  August,  1850.  These  traces  were  found  scattered  over  a 


572 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


spiace  of  several  miles  in  the  vicinity  of  Beeehey  island  and  Cape 
Riley,  and  consisted  of  empty  tin  cans,  the  embankment  of  a 
house,  with  carpenter's  and  armorer's  working  places,  and  finallv 
the  graves  of  three  men  who  belonged  to  the  Erebus  and  Terror, 
which  bore  date  of  the  winter  1845-6.  Other  expeditions  visited 
the  same  grounds  and  explored  675  miles  of  hitherto  undiscov- 
ered coast,  but  without  finding  any  further  traces,  nor  were  any 


SIR  EDWARD  BELCHER'S  FLEET  FROZEN  UP  IN  THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 

documents  found  giving  indications  of  the  condition  or  intention 
of  the  missing  men.  Sir  John  Ross  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  Franklin  party  had  been  murdered  in  Wostenholm  Sound  by 
Esquimaux.  This  opinion  was  supported  by  Capt.  McClure, 
-who,  in  August,  1850,  discovered  a  flat  brass  button  in  the  eat 
of  an  Esquimau  chief,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  river. 
This  chief  admitted  that  it  had  been  taken  from  the  ear  of  i\ 
white  man  who  had  been  killed,  but  he  could  not  tell  the  plac* 
where  the  murder  was  committed. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  573 

In  April,  1852,  five  vessels  were  despatched  under  command  of 
Sir  Edward  Belcher,  and  in  the  following  year  five  mo;c  expedi- 
tions were  sent  in  search  of  Franklin.  One  of  these  was  fitted 
out  by  Mr.  Grinnell  of  New  York  and  Mr.  Peabody  of  London, 
and  was  commanded  by  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  who  had  acted  as  sur- 
geon, naturalist  and  historian  of  the  former  Grinnell  expedition 
under  DeHaven.  One  of  these  expeditions  very  fortunately  found 
and  rescued  McClure  and  his  ship's  company,  who  had  been  buried 
in  the  ice  since  the  summer  of  1850,  three  years.  These  returned 
home  with  Belcher,  abandoning  their  ship,  and  were  thus  the 
first  and  only  ship's  company  who  ever  entered  Behring  Strait 
and  returned  to  Europe  by  Baffin  Bay.  Thus  was  established  at 
last  the  great  fact  of  a  continuous  water  passage  between  Baffin 
Bay  and  Behring  Strait,  parallel  with  the  American  coast.  In 
the  spring  of  1854  no  less  than  five  vessels  were  abandoned  in 
the  ice  and  their  crews  had  to  return  home  in  the  vessels  of  other 
search  parties. 

In  1854  Dr.  Rae  met  a  party  of  Esquimaux  who  had  in  their 
possession  various  articles  of  silverware  belonging  to  officers  of 
the  Erebus  and  Terror.  These  Esquimaux  related  that  in  1851 
they  saw  a  company  of  forty  white  men  dragging  sledges  and 
going  where  they  might  kill  deer,  their  ship  having  been  crushed 
in  the  ice.  They  purchased  a  few  provisions  from  the  natives, 
and  showed  evidences  of  great  destitution.  At  a  later  date,  the 
same  summer,  were  found  the  corpses  of  about  thirty  persons 
and  some  graves  on  the  American  shore,  and  five  dead  bodies  on 
an  island  near  it.  Of  the  bodies  on  the  island  one  was  supposed 
to  be  an  officer,  as  a  telescope  was  slung  about  the  neck.  These 
men  had  undoubtedly  been  driven  to  cannibalism  before  they 
perisned,  as  there  were  on  each  the  evidences  of  the  fleshy  por- 
tions having  been  cut  away.  Dr.  Rae  found  guns,  watches,  var- 
ious scientific  instruments,  clothing,  etc.,  among  the  natives  who 
had  taken  them  from  the  dead  bodies.  Mr.  Anderson  found 
similar  traces  of  the  lost  party  in  1855,  and  conversed  witli  natives 
who  declared  that  the  men  had  died  of  starvation. 

Dr.  Kane,  the    American    explorer,  left    New   York    in  the 


574  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Advance,  May  30,  1853.  The  expedition  which  he  commanded 
was  sent  out  with  the  double  purpose  of  finding  the  Sir  John 
Franklin  party,  and  to  test  a  theory  which  Dr.  Kane  had  long 
entertained,  viz:  that  there  was  somewhere  between  the  North 
Pole  and  80°  N.,  a  vast  open  sea  and  a  milder  climate  than  was 
to  be  found  some  degrees  further  south.  He  hoped  to  reach  this 
clear  water  and  continue  north  on  it  until  the  goal  was  reached. 
He  established  his  winter  camp  at  Kensselar  harbor,  and  during 
the  continuance  of  day  light  excursions  were  made  into  the 
interior  of  Greenland  in  which  800  miles  were  traversed.  Kane's 
winter  harbor  was  further  north  than  that  of  any  previous  expe- 
dition. 

The  crew  was  much  enfeebled  by  the  long  winter,  and  it  was 
not  until  April  that  Dr.  Kane  started  on  a  sledging  tour  to  the 
north.  The  extreme  severity  of  the  weather  defeated  his  prime 
purpose,  but  he  was  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of  some  remarkable 
natural  wonders,  which  he  named  the  Three  Brothers  Turrets, 
Tennyson's  Monument,  and  the  great  Humbolt  Glacier.  He 
returned  to  his  vessel  May  14th,  and  six  days  later  started  upon 
another  journey,  in  which  they  attained  thelat.  79°  45'  and  long. 
69°  12',  and  discovered  two  prominent  capes  which  were  named 
Joseph  Leidy  and  John  Frazier.  On  June  30th  two  of  Kane's 
officers,  accompanied  by  an  escort,  left  on  another  excursion, 
but  upon  reaching  Humboldt  Glazier  four  of  the  party  were 
stricken  blind  and  had  to  be  sent  back.  The  others  pushed  on 
until  July  31st,  when  they  sighted  open  water,  which  they  called 
Kennedy  Channel. 

Dr.  Kane  was  ill  much  of  the  time,  and  the  cold  was  so  severe 
that  there  was  no  prospect  of  releasing  his  vessel  ;  so  in  August 
he  abandoned  her  and  pushed  on  overland  to  Upernavik,  where 
he  arrived  without  losing  any  of  his  party,  but  not  without  endur- 
ing indescribable  sufferings.  Fears  for  Kane's  safety  had  induced 
the  United  States  government  to  send  out  two  vessels  for  his 
relief,  the  Release  and  Arctic,  commanded  by  Capt.  Hartstene. 
He  reached  lat.  78°  32'  when  his  further  progress  was  barred  by 
impassable  barriers  of  ice.  Returning  he  found  Kane  and  hi-" 


p  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  575 

crew  at  Upernavik,  and  with  them  reached  New  York  in  the  fall 
of  1855.  In  a  scientific  point  of  view  Dr.  Kane's  voyage  was  the 
most  important  one  that  had  ever  been  made  to  the  arctic 
regions. 

In  1857  Lady  Franklin  resolved  to  send  another  vessel,  at  her 
own  expense,  in  quest  of  her  lost  husband.  The  screw  steamer 
Fox,  formerly  a  pleasure  yacht,  was  purchased  and  fitted  up  for 
the  purpose  and  the  command  given  to  Capt.  Francis  McClin- 
tock. 

This  steamer  left  Aberdeen,  July  1st,  for  Lancaster  Sound, 
but  she  was  caught  in  an  ice  pack,  nearly  opposite  the  channel 
enterance  to  Baffin's  Bay,  and  held  for  eight  months.  The  mov- 
ing pack  had  in  the  meantime  carried  her  back  a  distance  of 
1395  miles  southward.  She  was  refitted  at  Holsteinborg  and 
started  again,  this  time  being  unusually  successful,  for  with 
comparatively  little  trouble  she  reached  Port  Kennedy  in  Frank- 
lin Strait,  and  there  went  into  winter  quarters.  On  March  1st 
McClintock  met  a  party  of  Esquimaux  near  Cape  Victoria,  who 
told  him  that  several  years  before  two  ships,  with  white  crews, 
had  been  crushed  in  the  ice  and  sunk  in  deep  water  off  the  north- 
west shore  of  King  William  Land.  The  crews  went  away  to  a 
great  river,  where  they  all  died  of  starvation.  This  was  all  he 
could  learn  from  them.  McClintock  then  followed  the  south  and 
west  coast  of  King  William  Land  and  found  several  traces  of  the 
lost  explorers  near  Cape  Herschel.  A  skeleton,  with  European 
clothing  lying  near  by,  was  found,  and  a  few  miles  further  he 
came  upon  a  boat,  fitted  to  a  sledge,  in  wh?ch  were  two  more 
skeletons.  Some  remnants  of  tents,  three  small  cairns  and  one 
larger  one  was  found.  Displacing  some  stones  of  the  larger  one> 
the  first  and  only  record  of  the  unfortunate  Franklin  party  was 
found.  It  was  only  a  bit  of  paper  dated  May  28,  1847, 
announcing  that  all  were  well,  and  that  a  small  party  had  four 
days  previously  left  the  ships.  On  the  margin  of  this  slip  was 
another  memorandum,  written  in  a  different  hand,  dated  April 
25,  1848,  stating  that  Sir  John  Franklin  had  died  June  11,  1847, 
and  that  the  total  loss  by  death  up  to  that  time  had  been  nine 


576  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

officers  and  fifteen  men.  The  crews  of  both  vessels,  all  told, 
originally  numbered  129  souls.  McClintock's  discoveries  finally 
decided  the  fate  of  the  Franklin  Expedition. 

Dr.  Isaac  I.  Hayes,  a  member  of  Dr.  Kane's  party,  and  an 
enthusiastic  believer  in  the  existence  of  an  open  polar  sea, 
succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  private  subscriptions,  in  organizing  an 
exploring  party  of  fourteen  men,  with  whom  he  embarked  in  the 
schooner  United  /States,  from  Boston,  July  6,  1860.  Hayes 
entered  Baffin  Bay,  August  20,  and  added  to  his  crew  three 
Danes,  and  three  Esquimaux  hunters,  and  secured  sledge  dogs 
for  the  winter's  work.  He  harbored  at  Port  Foulke,  and  during 
the  winter  made  several  sledge  journeys  northward.  April  3, 
1861,  he  reached  lat.  81°  35',  long.  70°  30',  beyond  which  the  ice 
was  so  rotten  as  to  make  further  progress  impossible.  This  was 
the  most  northerly  point  that  had  ever  been  reached,  and  from  a 
lofty  headland  he  looked  out  upon  what  he  believed  was  an  open 
polar  sea.  Having  no  boat  he  was  obliged  to  return,  and  as  his 
vessel  was  already  becoming  badly  broken  by  the  ice  he  had  to 
make  his  way  back  to  Boston,  where  he  arrived  in  October, 
1861. 

In'  1860  Capt.  Charles  F.  Hall  left  New  London,  Connecticut, 
in  a  whale  ship,  which  landed  him  on  the  west  coast  of  Davis 
Strait.  From  thence  he  prosecuted  a  search  for  the  remains  of 
the  Franklin  party  in  sledges.  He  found  no  trace  of  them,  how- 
ever, though  he  did  discover  relics  of  the  Frobisher  expedition, 
made  300  years  before.  Hall  returned  to  the  United  States 
September  30th,  but  in  1864  he  again  sailed  for  the  arctic  regions 
with  only  two  Esquimaux  companions.  He  landed  on  the  coast 
of  Hudson  Bay  and  thence  journeyed  to  King  William  Land, 
where  he  found  many  relics  of  the  Franklin  party,  and  from  a 
number  of  Esquimaux  obtained  indisputable  evidence  that  the 
explorers  had  died  of  starvation,  but  not  until  they  had  accom- 
plished the  northwest  passage.  Capt.  Hall  spent  five  years 
among  the  Esquimaux,  learning  their  language  and  acclimating 
himself  to  the  arctic  regions,  and  then  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  1869  to  organize  another  expedition. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  577 

A  German  expedition  was  sent  out  from  Bremen  in  1868,  which 
reached  hit.  81°  5'  N.,  long.  60°  W.,  but  accomplished  nothing 
of  importance  ;  and  an  expedition  despatched  by  the  Swedish 
government  in  the  same  year  had  no  better  success.  In  1869  Dr. 
Hayes  made  a  trip  to  Upernavik  to  make  preparations  for  a 
journey  which  he  hoped  to  undertake  the  following  year.  He 
made  a  short  voyage  in  the  steamer  Panther,  but  added  no  new 
discoveries.  The  German  government  sent  out  two  vessels  in 
1869,  one  of  which  was  wrecked  in  Sabine  Bay,  and  the  crew 
almost  perished  on  an  iceberg,  where  they  had  taken  refuge. 
The  other  vessel  returned  within  the  year  with  nothing  new  to 
report.  Several  other  expeditions  started  from  the  continent  of 
Europe  in  1869,  but  none  of  them  made  any  important  discoveries. 

In  1871  four  more  expeditions  started  from  Europe,  but  only 
one  succeeded  in  gaining  any  honors.  Two  Austrian  lieutenants, 
Payer  and  Weyprecht,  sailed  from  Tromso,  Norway,  in  a  small 
sailing  vessel,  and  proceeded  due  north  of  Nova  Zembla  and 
entered  an  open  ocean  in  which  navigation  was  only  slightly 
impeded  by  light  and  scattering  ice  Dr.  Petermann,  the  German 
geographer,  regards  this  discovery  as  of  the  greate.st  importance, 
since  the  two  lieutenants  must  have  penetrated  into  the  open  sea 
and  thus  found  the  only  free  passage  to  the  pole. 

The  other  European  expeditions  of  '71  were  attended  with  no 
important  results.  It  was  in  this  year  that  Capt.  Hall  organized, 
by  the  aid  of  Congress,  an  expedition  which  departed  from  New 
York  June  29th,  in  the  steamer  Polaris,  of  about  400  tons. 

For  nearly  two  years  no  important  news  was  received  from 
Hall,  but  as  yet  there  was  no  alarm  felt  for  his  safety,  as  he 
expected  to  be  absent  three  years.  On  April  29, 1873,  the  British 
steamer  Tigress  struck  an  ice  floe  in  lat.  53° 35'  N.,  long.  35°  W. 
On  this  floe  were  found  Capt.  Tyson,  one  of  Hall's  officers,  and 
eighteen  members  of  the  Polaris  expedition,  who  had  been  196 
days  on  the  ice,  and  had  drifted  nearly  2,000  miles.  They 
reported  that  while  landing  provisions  from  their  vessel,  which 
was  fast  in  the  ice,  the  floe  broke  up  and  separated  them  from 
the  ship,  and  rapidly  drifting  southward,  they  saw  her  no  more 
37 


578  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

They  also  reported  that  Capt.  Hall  had  suddenly  taken  sick  and 
died  on  November  28,  1871.  The  command  then  devolved  on 
Capt.  Buddington,  who  resolved  to  return,  and  on  August  2, 
1872,  the  Polaris  turned  southward,  but  drifted  with  the  ice  into 
Baffin  Bay,  where  Tyson  left  her.  The  Polaris  was  so  seriously 
injured  by  the  breaking  floe,  that  it  was  only  by  extraordinary 
exertion  and  the  use  of  steam  pumps  that  she  was  prevented 
from  foundering.  She  was  kept  afloat  during  the  night,  however, 
and  on  the  following  morning  was  run  aground  in  Kane's  L if e 
Boat  (Jove,  where  she  was  abandoned.  Here  they  remained 
encamped,  waiting  for  the  ice  to  break  up,  until  June  3,  1873, 
when  they  loaded  their  small  boats  with  provisions  and  started 
on  the  waters  of  Smith  Sound  for  the  south.  On  June  23  they 
sighted  a  vessel,  which  proved  to  be  the  Ravenscraig ,  of  Dundee, 
Capt.  Allen,  a  Scotch  whaler.  The  explorers  were  picked  up 
and  landed  at  Dundee  on  September  19,  1873. 

The  reported  loss  of  the  Polaris,  by  Capt.  Tyson,  caused  the 
government  to  send  out  the  steamers  Juniata  and  Cabot,  under 
Lieutenant  DeLong,  to  search  for  them,  but  they  had  gone  only 
a  short  distance  beyond  St.  Johns  when  the  news  of  the  rescue 
was  received  from  a  passing  vessel,  when  the  expedition  at  once 
returned.  In  a  future  chapter  further  notice  will  be  made  of  the 
unfortunate  Polaris  and  the  treacherous  death  of  Capt.  Hall. 

The  next  expedition  was  organized  in  1877,  by  Lieutenant 
Geo.  W.  DeLong,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  the  expenses  of 
which  were  provided  by.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  New  York 
Herald.  A  suitable  vessel  was  found  in  the  steamer  Pandora, 
which  was  put  in  prime  condition  for  a  contest  with  arctic  cold 
and  dangerous  icebergs,  and  then  renamed  theJeannettc,  for  Mr. 
Bennett's  sister.  She  put  into  Havre,  after  all  repairs  were 
made,  from  which  port  she  sailed  July  15,  1878,  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. Here  the  expedition  was  recruited  from  the  navy,  some 
of  the  officers  being  then  in  service  in  Chinese  waters,  so  that  a 
delay  of  nearly  one  year  was  unavoidable.  On  the  8th  of  July, 
1879,  the  Jeannette  departed  with  her  select  crew  for  Lawrence 
Bay,  Lieut.  DeLon<j's  intentions  being  to  attempt  a  passage  to 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEBS. 


579 


the  pole  through  the  open  water  found  north  of  Nova  Zembla  by 
the  Austrian  lieutenants,  Payer  and  Weyprecht. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1880,  the  Jeannette  was  caught  be- 
tween two  ice-floes  and  severely  strained  by  the  enormous  press- 
ure, but  the  resistance  she  offered  told  how  wonderfully  strong 
had  been  her  timbers  and  bracings.  But  on  June  12,  1881,  in 
lat.  77°  14'  20",  long.  156°  7'  30"  E.  she  was  caught  again  and 
this  time  crushed  so  badly  that  she  sank  on  the  following  after- 
noon, but  not  until  all  provisions  had  been  removed,,  The  party 


1HE  JEANNETTE, 

were  in  no  wise  discouraged  by  the  disaster,  for  they  had  food  in 
abundance,  also  boats  and  sledges.  So  buoyant,  indeed,  were 
their  spirits  that  a  concert  was  given  on  the  evening  the  Jean- 
nette sank.  Camp  was  pitched  not  far  from  where  the  vessel  was 
crushed,  and  here  the  party  remained  in  general  good  health  for 
a  few  days,  arranging  the  loads  for  sledge  transportation.  On 
Juno  15th  the  order  to  march  was  given,  three  cutters  and  two 
whale-boats  being  taken,  in  which  to  carry  supplies.  They 
marched  southward  with  the  hope  of  reaching  the  New  Siberian 
Islands,  and  from  thence  make  their  way  to  the  Siberian  coast. 


580  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  horrors  of  this  dreadful  march  to  open  water,  separation  of 
the  boats  in  a  gale,  loss  of  Lieut.  Chipp's  boat  and  crew,  are  all 
fresh  in  the  public  mind.  So  also  is  the  sad  death  of  DeLong 
and  so  many  of  his  party  near  the  Lena  Delta,  where  frost  and 
starvation  overwhelmed  them  ;  then  the-  closing  chapter  of  this 
most  unfortunate  expedition,  the  finding  of  the  dead  bodies  and 
bringing  them  from  their  far  resting  places  in  the  bleak  wastes  of 
Siberia's  eternal  winter,  back  to  their  homes  in  America  and 
graves  in  native  soil.  The  escape  of  Melville  and  his  boat-crew 
is  the  only  result  of  the  Jeannette  expedition  that  is  not  extremely 
painful. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1878,  Lieutenant  Frederick  Schwatka,  of 
the  Third  United  States  Cavalry,  set  sail  in  the  Eotlien  in  search 
of  the  remains  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  party.  The  vessel 
and  crew  were  both  small,  but  resolution  brought  the  expedition 
a  success  which  its  most  earnest  promoters  had  hardly  antici- 
pated. 

They  proceeded  directly  for  King  William  Land,  upon  reach- 
ing which  they  went  into  winter  quarters  to  await  the  disappear- 
ance of  snow,  so  as  to  prosecute  their  search  for  traces  of  the 
fated  party  more  easily.  Eight  months  in  tents  at  Camp  Daly 
served  to  inure  Schwatka  and  his  men  to  the  severe  climate,  and 
in  April  he  set  out  with  sledges  to  search  for  relics  of  the  Frank- 
lin expedition:  Reaching  the  Netchillik  country,  he  interviewed 
several  of  the  old  natives,  from  whom  he  gathered  considerable' 
information.  One  of  these  people  described  the  finding  of  sev- 
eral bodies  near  Richardson  Point,  and  the  ornaments  which  he 
himself  had  taken  from  them,  consisting  of  a  gold  watch  and 
watch-chain,  gold  ring,  gold  earrings,  pipes,  tobacco,  and  a  num- 
ber ©f  silver  watches.  These  bodies  were  all  in  a  tent-covered 
boat ;  a  number  of  them  bore  evidences  of  having  been  eaten  by 
their  comrades,  for  many  of  the  bones  had  been  cut  with  knife 
and  saw. 

Between  Franklin  Point  and  Collinson  Inlet,  Schwatka  found 
the  graves  of  two  white  men,  and  on  the  following  day  was  found 
the  camp  which  Capt.  Crosier  and  his  command  had  made  after 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  581 

abandoning  the  vessels,  Erebus  ;md  Terror.  Next  Lieutenant 
Irving's  grave  was  found  and  near  it  a  silver  medal.  They  were 
now  in  a  district  fruitful  with  relies  of  the  unfortunate  party,  and 
discovered  in  several  weeks  of  search  the  remains  of  no  less  than 
thirty  members  of  the  expedition,  all  of  which  were  re-buried 
with  the  exception  of  one  entire  skeleton,  which,  together  with 
numerous  relics,  was  brought  back  to  the  United  States,  and 
afterward  turned  over  to  the  English  Government.  This  skele- 
ton proved  to  be  the  remains  of  Lieut.  Irving. 

We  are  now  brought  to  the  last  expedition  undertaken  in  the 
Arctic  regions,  the  horrors  of  which  are  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all 
people.  The  foregoing  resume  of  Arctic  exploration  is  intended 
as  a  mere  recapitulation  of  the  heroic  efforts  directed  toward  dis- 
covering a  Northwest  Passage  for  the  benefit  of  commerce,  and 
the  location  of  the  North  Pole  for  the  benefit  of  science.  We 
will  now  proceed  ""o  relate  some  of  the  dreadful  experiences  of 
Arctic  travelers,  as  well  also  the  incidents,  amusing  and  other- 
wise, connected  therewith,  which  will  necessarily  include  a  de- 
scription of  the  wonders  of  that  forbidden  region.  The  Greelv 

*•  ~  w 

expedition  must  first  be  reported,  because  puolic  interest  now 
centers  about  the  discovery  of  the  survivors  and  dead  of  that 
woefully  unfortunate  party. 


582  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE  GREELY  EXPEDITION 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

PURPOSES    OF    THE    GREELY    EXPEDITION. 

THE  frequent  disasters  that  have  overtaken  expeditions  sent  to 
the  Arctic  regions,  involving  loss  of  life  by  cold  and  starvation, 
and  intense  suffering  always,  even  when  no  fatalities  occurred, 
have  not  in  the  least  diminished  interest  in  Arctic  exploration, 
hut  on  the  other  hand,  seem  only  to  incite  renewed  endeavor. 
Governments,  reflecting  popular  desire,  continue  their  efforts  to 
gain  honors  by  fresh  discoveries  in  the  almost  inaccessible  region, 
and  each  year  serves  to  prove  that  civilization  will  not  be  content 
until  the  secrets  and  mysteries  of  the  frozen  North  are  yielded 
up  to  resolute  explorers.  The  loss  of  the  Jeannette  only  stimu- 
lated scientific  curiosity,  and  a  hundred  daring  travelers  an- 
nounced their  desire  to  continue  the  search  for  the  North  Pole. 
New  theories  were  immediately  advanced  to  take  the  place  of 
those  that  had  been  exploded. 

The  Signal  Service  Department,  under  Gen.  Hazen,  took  great 
interest  in  Arctic  research,  and  when  some  scientist  proposed  the 
establishment  of  international  polar  stations  by  which  it  was  be- 
lieved the  Pole  might  be  reached  by  gradual  approaches,  Gen. 
Hazen  at  once  gave  the  scheme  his  unqualified  sanction.  The 
question  was  industriously  agitated,  until  at  length  Congress,  in 
1880,  voted  an  ample  appropriation  for  equipping  an  expedition 
which  was  to  proceed  to  certain  specified  points,  as  will  hereafter 
appear,  and  establish  permanent  stations. 

Lieutenant  and  Brevet-Major  Adolphus  W.  Greely,  assistant 
to  the  chief  signal  officer,  was  an  enthusiast  on  arctic  discovery, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


583 


and  supported  Gen.  Hazen  with  all  his  influence  in  carrying  the 
appropriation  bill  through  Congress.  Greely  had  seen  some 
service  and  was  a  man  of  acknowledged  bravery.  He  entered 
the  volunteer  service  as  a  private  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
joining  a  Massachusetts  regiment,  and  served  continuously  until 
appointed,  in  March,  1867,  a  lieutenant  in  the  5th  cavalry  U.  S. 


LIEUT.   ADOLPHUS   W.   GREELY. 


regular  army.  He  attained  in  the  volunteer  service  the  grade  of 
captain  and  brevet-major  for  bravery  exhibited  at  the  storming  of 
Fredericksburg,  December,  1862,  in  which  he  was  wounded 
three  times,  but  still  kept  the  field.  After  his  appointment  in 
the  regular  army  he  was  attached  to  the  signal  service  corps, 
where  he  served  in  the  several  capacities  of  inspector,  constructor 
and  superintendent  of  telegraph  lines  and  as  the  official  predict- 


584  THE   WORLD '"b   WONDKKS. 

ing  officer.  At  the  time  De  Long  was  recruiting  from  the  army 
list  his  crew  for  the  Jeannette,  Greely  offered  his  services,  ;:nd  in 
fact,  tried  in  every  possible  way  co  accompany  the  expedition, 
and  was  deeply  chagrined  at  being  refused. 

When  Congress  passed  the  bill  providing  for  the  establishment 
of  Polar  stations,  Gen.  Hazen  interested  himself  in  procuring 
for  Greely  the  appointment  as  commander  of  the  expedition,  in 
which  effort  he  was  successful . 

Th  expedition,  when  organized,  consisted  of  twenty-four 
officers  and  men,  chosen  from  different  branches  of  the  army,  as 
follows : 

Frederick  F,  Kislingbury,  second  lieutenant  Eleventh  Infantry  : 
acting  sign;;l  officer;  widower;  two  children. 

James  B»  Lockwood,  firsi  lieutenant  Twenty-third  Infantry  ; 
acting  signal  officer ;  Washington  D.  C.  ;  unmarried  :  is  a  son 
of  Geiio  Lockwood  (retired)  U.  S.  A. 

Di'o  Octav:  Pavey,  medical  officer;  married:  wife's  address, 
Maryvillc,  Nodaway  County,  Mo, 

Edward  Israel,  sergeant  of  Signal  Corps  ;  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  ; 
unmarried  ;  born  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich, 

Winfield  S.  Jewell,  sergeant  of  Signal  Corps ;  unmarried  ; 
born  at  Lisbon,  No  H. 

George  Wo  Rice,  sergeant  of  Signal  Corps,  Washington,  D.  C.  ; 
unmarried  ;  bora  at  Sidney,  Nova  Scotia. 

David  C=  Ralston,  sergeant  of  Signal  Corps  ;  unmarried  ;  born 
at  Bloomfield,  Ohio0 

Hampden  S=  Gardiner,  sergeant  of  Signal  Corps,  Philadelphia, 
Pa. ;  married  ;  born  at  Philadelphia. 

William  H.  Cross,  sergeant  of  general  service,  Washington, 
Do  C. ;  born  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

David  L.  Brainerd,  sergeant  nf  Company  L9  Second  Cavalry; 
enlisted  &  New  York  City  ;  born  at  Oswego  County,  N.  Y. 

David  Linn;  sergeant  ct  Company  C,  Second  Cavalry  ;  enlisted 
at  Philadelphia  5  born  at  Philadelphia. 

Nicholas   Nalor,  corporal  of   Company  H,  Second   Cavalry , 
enlisted  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio  ;   unmarried  ;  bom  at  Luxembourg 
Germany 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  585 

Joseph  Elison,  corporal  of  Company  E,  Tenth  Infantry : 
enlisted  at  Fort  Wayne,  Mich.  ;  born  in  Germany. 

Charles  B.  Henry,  private  of  Company  E,  Fifth  Cavalry  ; 
enlisted  at  Cincinnati ;  horn  at  Hanover,  Germany. 

Maurice  Council,  private  of  Company  B,  Third  Cavalry; 
enlisted  at  Camp-on-Goose-Creek,  Wyoming:  born  at  Kerry, 
Ireland. 

Jacob  Bender,  private  of  Company  F,  Ninth  Infantry  ;  enlisted 
at  Omaha  Barracks,  Neb.  ;  born  in  Friedberg,  Germany. 

Wm.  Whistler,  private  of  Company  F,  Ninth  Infantry; 
enlisted  at  Omaha  Barracks,  Neb.  ;  born  in  Carroll  County, 
Ind.  ;  father's  address  Monon,  Indiana. 

Henry  Biederbick,  private  Company  G,  Seventeenth  Infantry  ; 
enlisted  at  Cincinnati,  O.  ;  born  at  Waldeck,  Germany. 

Julius  Fredericks,  private  of  Company  I,  Second  Cavalry ; 
enlisted  at  Cleveland,  O.  ;  unmarried  ;  born  at  Dayton,  O. 

Wrn..A.  Ellis,  private  of  Company  C,  Second  Cavalry; 
enlisted  at  New  York  City  ;  born  at  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 

R.  R.  Schneider,  private  of  Company  A,  First  Artillery : 
enlisted  at  Fort  Columbus,  New  York  harbor ;  born  at  Chem- 
nitz, Germany. 

Francis  Long,  sergeant  of  Company  F,  Ninth  Infantry ;  en- 
listed at  Omaha  Barracks,  Neb.  ;  born  in  Wurternbourg,  Germany. 

THE   DEPARTURE. 

LIEUTENANT  GREELY  sailed  from  St.  Johns,  N.  F.,  July  7, 
1881,  on  the  steamer  Proteus,  and  reached  Disco  Island,  at  God- 
haven,  two  weeks  later.  Here  he  secured  two  Esquimaux  inter- 
preters, fourteen  dogs,  two  sledges,  and  a  large  quantity  of  pro- 
visions, including  several  tons  of  walrus  flesh  and  dried  fish  as 
food  for  the  dogs.  Several  hundred  pounds  of  white  whale 
skin  were  also  added  to  the  store  on  account  of  its  antiscorbutic 
properties.  Sailing  from  Godhaven,  the  Proteus  reached  Uper- 
navik  on  the  24th  of  July,  and  left  there  July  29,  going  north  at 
full  speed.  Baffin's  Bay,  Smith's  Sound  and  Kennedy  Channel 
were  found  remarkably  free  from  obstructions.  The  season  was 
very  exceptional.  There  the  Proteus  in  1881  found  open  water ; 


586 

the  Neptune  in  1882  and  the  Proteus  in  1883  were  driven  back 
by  immeasurable  and  impenetrable  fields  of  ice.  The  Nares 
expedition  in  1875  made  the  passage  with  great  difficulty, 
battling  with  the  ice  continually  and  nearly  losing  their  ships. 
They  were  twenty-one  days  in  reaching  Cape  Frazer  from  Little- 
ton Island,  but  the  Proteus  made  the  same  distance  in  sixteen 
hours.  The  explorers  passed  Cape  Constitution,  Kane's  highest 
point,  and  there  they  met  with  the  first  obstruction.  On  the  4th 
they  steamed  up  to  the  solid  main  pack,  extending  right  across 
the  channel  and  appearing  to  be  at  least  twenty  feet  thick.  The 
Proteus  had  then  reached  the  southwest  part  of  Lady  Franklin 
Bay,  and  was  within  ten  miles  of  her  destination.  For  seven 
days  the  vessel  was  moored  to  the  ice  rnd  Lieut.  Greely  almost 
despaired  of  attaining  his  object.  But  tne  ice  moved  to  the  east- 
ward, and  the  ship  was  forced  at  full  speed  until  Discovery 
Harbor  was  reached,  and  there  Lieut.  Greely  established  his 
settlement,  calling  it  Fort  Conger,  in  honor  of  Senator  Conger, 
of  Michigan,  who  had  been  instrumental  in  passing  the  bill 
through  Congress  which  authorized  the  expedition.  The  Proteus 
left  the  party  well  provided  for  at  Fort  Conger  on  August  18th, 
and  arrived  safely  at  St.  John's. 

The  company  at  Fort  Conger  was  well  equipped  for  its  exile. 
Stores  of  provisions  sufficient  to  last  two  years  were  at  hand. 
The  house  erected  had  double  frames  and  measured  61  by  21 
feet.  In  addition  to  stores  and  supplies  about  140  tons  of  coal 
were  landed.  It  was  not  doubted  that  the  members  of  the  expe- 
dition could  be  made  as  comfortable  and  as  safe  from  atmos- 
pheric dangers  as  are  the  men  of  the  Signal  Service  stationed 
on  the  summits  of  Pike's  Peak  and  Mt.  Washington,  or  the 
employes  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Compay  stationed  at  Fort  York, 
where  a  temperature  of  60°  is  not  uncommon. 

Scientific  work  began  at  once.  The  formal  observations  of 
the  international  series,  however,  did  not  commence  until  August 
1,  1882.  They  then  continued  for  one  year.  The  obligatory 
work  was  to  include  researches  into  meteorology,  magnetism, 
the  aurora,  and  astronomy.  The  voluntary  or  optional  observa- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  587 

tions,  which  might  be  made  without  the  Congress  insisting  upon 
them,  embraced  every  department  of  natural  science,  including 
the  temperature  of  the  soil,  snow  and  ice,  evaporation,  terrestrial 
magnetism,  and  galvanic  earth  currents  in  close  connection 
with  magnetic  and  auroral  phenomena,  hydrographical,  spectro- 
scopical  and  pendulum  observations,  as  well  as  observations  on 
atmospheric  electricity,  the  growth  and  structure  of  ice,  the 
physical  properties  of  sea  water,  etc.  Zoological,  geological  and 
botanical  collections  were  to  be  accumulated,  and  though  mere 
explorations  was  not  forbidden,  it  was  to  be  regarded  as  second- 
ary to  the  proper  work  of  the  different  parties. 

THE    HIGHEST    POINT    EVER    UEACHKD. 

DUIJINO  the  two  years  that  Greely  remained  at  Fort  Conger, 
he  busied  himself  with  the  duties  which  had  been  entrusted  to 
him,  while  the  spirit  of  discovery  possessed  many  of  his  compan- 
ions, producing  results  of  the  most  valuable  character.  The 
prime  objects  of  the  expedition  were  at  no  time  neglected,  but  so 
admirably  had  the  commander  perfected  his  arrangements  for 
scientific  operations,  that  opportunity  was  left  him  and  his  officers 
to  make  a  series  of  journeys,  the  happy  results  of  which  are 
modestly  told  in  a  dispatch  sent  by  Greely  to  Gen.  Hazt-n  from 
St.  John's,  July  17,  1884: 

"For  the  first  time  in  three  centuries  England  yields  the  honor 
of  the  furthest  north.  Lieut.  Lockwood  and  Sergeant  Brainerd, 
May  13,  reached  Lockwood  Island,  Int.  83°  24'  N.,  long.  44°  5' 
w.  They  saw  from  2,000  feet  elevation  no  land  north,  or  north- 
west, but  to  northeast  Greenland,  Cape  Robert  Lincoln,  lat  83° 
35',  long.  38°.,  Lieut.  Lockwood  was  turned  back  in  1883  by 
open  water  on  North  Greenland  shore,  the  party  barely  escaping 
drift  into  the  Polar  Ocean.  Dr.  Pavy,  in  1882,  followed  Mark- 
ham's  route,  was  adrift  one  day  in  the  Polar  Ocean  north  of 
Cape  Joseph  Henry,  and  escaped  to  land,  abandoning  nearly 
everything. 

"In  1882  I  made  a  spring  and  later  summer  trip  into  the  in- 
terior of  Grinnell  Land,  discovering  Lake  Hazen,  some  sixty  by 
ten  miles  in  extent,  which,  fed  by  ice-caps  of  North  Grinnell 


588 


THE    WOHLl/S    WONDERS. 


Land,  drains  Ruggles  Rivet  and  AYcyprorlil,  Fiord  into  Oony- 
beure  Bay  and  Archer  Fiord.  From  the  summit  of  Mount  Arthur, 
5000  feet,  the  contour  of  land  west  of  the  Conger  Mountains 
convinced  me  that  Grinneli  Land  travels  directly  south  from 
Lieut.  Aldrich's  furthest  in  1876. 


"  In  1883  Lieutenant  Lockwood  and  Sergeant  Brainerd  sue- 
'teeded  in  crossing  Grinneli  Land,  and  ninety  miles  from  Beatrix 
Bay,  the  head  of  Archer  Fiord,  struck  the  head  of  a  fiord  from 
the  western  sea,  temporarily  named  by  Lockwood  the  Greely 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  589 

Fiord.  From  the  centre  of  the  fiord,  in  lat.  80°  30',  long.  78" 
30',  Lieut.  Lockwood  saw  the  northern  shore  termination,  some 
twenty  miles  west,  the  southern  shore  extending  some  fifty  miles, 
with  Cape  Lockwood  some  seventy  miles  distant — apparently  a 
separate  land  from  Grinnell  Land.  Have  named  the  new  land 
Arthur  Land.  Lieut.  Lockwood  followed,  going  and  returning, 
on  an  ice  cape  averaging  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  perpen- 
dicular face.  It  follows  that  the  Grinnell  Land  interior  is  ice- 
capped,  with  a  belt  of  country  some  sixty  miles  wide  between  the 
northern  and  southern  ice-capes. 

**  In  March,  1884,  Sergeant  Long,  while  hunting  from  the 
northwest  side  of  Mount  Carey  to  Hayes  Sound,  saw  on  the 
northern  coast  three  capes  westward  of  the  furthest  seen  by 
Nares  in  1876.  The  sound  extends  some  twenty  miles  further 
west  than  is  shown  by  the  English  chart,  but  is  possibly  shut  in 
by  land  which  showed  up  across  the  western  end. 

"  The  two  years'  station  duties,  observations,  all  explorations, 
and  the  retreat  to  Cape  Sabine,  were  accomplished  without  loss 
of  life,  disease,  serious  accident,  or  even  severe  frost-bites.  No 
scurvy  was  experienced  at  Conger,  and  but  one  death  occurred 
from  it  last  winter." 

A    WONDERFUL    SIGHT. 

THIS  dispatch  merely  outlines  the  discoveries  made,  the  im- 
portance of  which  can  only  be  estimated  when  a  fuller  description 
is  given.  The  altitude  attained  by  Lockwood  and  Brainerd  is 
four  miles  further  north  than  any  other  explorer  ever  reached. 
This  remote  point  was  the  summit  of  Lockwood  Island,  which  is 
2,000  feet  above  the  sea,  affording  a  wonderful  and  awe-inspiring 
view.  The  awful  panorama  of  the  Arctic  which  their  elevation 
spread  out  before  them,  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the 
exploiters.  The  exultation  natural  to  the  achievement  which  they 
had  accomplished  was  tempered  by  the  reflections  inspired  by  the 
sublime  desolation  of  that  stern  and  silent  coast  and  the  menace 
of  its  unbroken  solitude.  Beyond  to  the  eastward  was  the  inter- 
minable defiance  of  the  unexplored  coast— s-black,  cold,  and  re- 
pellant.  Below  them  lay  the  Arctic  Ocean ,  buried  beneath  frozen 


5(.K)  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

chaos.  No  words  can  describe  the  confusion  of  this  sea  of  ice — 
the  hopeles  asperity  of  it,  the  weariness  of  its  torn  and  tortured 
surface.  Only  at  the  remote  horizon  did  distance  and  the  fallen 
snow  mitigate  its  roughness  and  soften  its  outlines  ;  and  beyond 
it  in  the  yet  unattainable  recesses  of  the  great  circle  they  looked 
toward  the  Pole  itself. 

It  was  a  wonderful  sight,  one  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  in 
some  degree  a  realization  of  the  picture  that  astronomers  conjure 
to  themselves  when  the  moon  is  nearly  full  and  they  look  down 
into  the  great  plain  which  is  called  the  Ocean  of  Storms,  and 
watch  the  shadows  of  sterile  and  airless  peaks  follow  a  slow  pro- 
cession across  its  silver  surface. 

When  further  progress  northward  was  barred  by  open  water, 
and  the  party  almost  miraculously  escaped  drifting  into  the  Polar 
Sea,  Lieut.  Lockwood  erected,  at  the  highest  point  of  latitude 
reached  by  civilized  man,  a  pyramidal-shaped  cache  of  stone,  six 
feet  square  at  the  base,  and  eight  or  nine  feet  high.  In  a  little 
chamber  about  a  foot  square,  half-way  to  the  apex,  and  extend- 
ing to  the  centre  of  the  pile,  he  placed  a  self-recording  spirit 
thermometer,  a  small  tin  cylinder  containing  records  of  the  ex- 
pedition, etc.,  and  then  sealed  up  the  aperture  with  a  closely 
fitting  stone.  The  cache  was  surmounted  with  a  small  American 
flag  made  by  Mrs.  Greely.  There  were  but  thirteen  stars  in  the 
field,  as  Mrs.  Greely,  finding  the  work  lather  wearing,  had  con- 
cluded to  limit  the  stars  to  the  number  of  the  old  Revolutionary 
flag. 

REMARKABLE    DISCOVERIES. 

THIS  lofty  reach  of  the  world  was  attained  on  the  13th  of  May, 
which  hereafter  will  remain  a  memorable  date,  and  the  event  will 
find  record  in  all  future  works  on  Arctic  geography.  Parry,  in 
1827,  reached  lat.  79°;  Kane,  80°  30'  in  1854  ;  Hayes,  81°  30'  in 
1861  ;  Hall,  82°  16'  in  1871  ;  and  Nares,  83°  20'  in'l876.  These 
latitudes  are  given  approximately.  Lieut.  Lockwood  stopped  at 
lat.  83°  24',  but  saw  and  computed  83°  35',  which  most  northern 
land  now  known  he-called  Cape  Robert  Lincoln.  The  journey  to 
ai.d  from  this  point  occupied  fifty-nine  days.  It  would  seem 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  591 

from  accounts  of  it  that  even  at  a  temperature  of  minus  sixty- 
one  degrees  hares,  lemmings,  ptarmigan,  snow-birds,  snowy 
owls,  polar  bears,  musk-oxen,  and  even  vegetation  exist  and 
thrive.  Grinnell  Land  was  quite  thoroughly  explored.  Lake 
Hazen,  of  either  600  or  3,700  square  miles  area  (the  dispatches 
are  contradictory),  was  discovered  therein.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting to  know  more  of  this  fresh-water  body  and  its  inhabitants, 
if  any.  Nordenskjold  discovered  that  late  in  the  summer  great 
rivers,  formed  of  melted  ice,  with  icy  beds  and  banks,  make 
travel  in  the  north  impossible  without  small  boats.  Lake  Hazen 
is  described  as  being  fed  by  streams  from  the  ice  cap  of  northern 
Grinnell  Land,  and  emptying  into  Weyprecht  Fiord.  It  was 
discovered  in  April,  when  some  open  water  was  seen.  Doubtless 
in  August  a  much  larger-sized  lake,  fed  by  innumerable  large 
and  swift-flowing  rivers,  would  have  been  found.  This  lake, 
named  after  General  Hazen,  is  the  most  northern  fresh-water 
body  on  the  globe,  one-fourth  the  size  of  Lake  Erie.  Lving 
contiguously  to  it,  and  parallel  with  the  United  States  Mountains, 
were  two  ranges  named  after  Senator  Conger  and  the  late  Presi- 

O  O 

dent  Garfield.  The  highest  land  in  the  latter  range,  and  indeed 
of  all  the  country  north  of  Disco  Bay,  was  named  Arthur  Peak. 
It  is  5,000  feet  in  height. 

On  the  shores  of  Lake  Hazen  the  remains  of  an  Esquimau 
village  were  found,  apparently  the  most  northern  habitation 
attempted  by  the  Esquimaux.  Here  were  evidences  of  possession 
by  this  people  of  dogs,  sledges  and  iron.  It  would  argue  that 
at  no  distant  period  there  was  a  beautiful  valley  about  the  lake, 
with  an  abundance  of  vegetation  and  game.  That  the  rigors  of 
the  most  northern  climate  are  slowly  advancing  south  is  evident 
in  the  gradual  retreat  of  the  Esquimaux.  From  this  high  lati- 
tude they  have  been  forced  several  degrees,  and  that  for  no  lack 
of  game.  Add  to  this  the  migration  of  Icelanders  to  Manitoba, 
after  becoming  hereditarily  inured  to  the  climate  through  an 
ancestry  dating  back  a  thousand  years.  Of  late  the  ice-flow  south 
has  been  increasing,  until  in  1884  it  exceeded  the  combined 
fields  of  any  three  years  known.  The  bergs  have  augmented  in 


592  THE  WORLD'  WONDERS. 

size,  and  this  year  were  described  as  of  enormous  size,  mountain- 
like,  with  valleys,  rivers,  and  bays.  The  summers  are  growing 
so  cool  in  the  United  States  that  the  great  cities,  instead  of  being 
depopulated  during  alleged  warm  weather,  are  crowded, 

It  is  revelant  to  note  that  in  1824  Scandinavian  seal-men  found 
an  open  winter,  the  snow  melting  as  it  fell.  Kane,  in  the  winter 
of  1851,  recorded  an  average  temperature  of  about  minus  5°. 
The  Polaris  expedition  during  the  winter  of  1872-3  experienced 
a  temperature  of  minus  40°.  Dr.  Hall  asserts  that  the  mercury 
froze.  Lieutenant  Greely,  ten  years  later,  records  a  mean  ther- 
mometer of  minus  41°,  with  a  maximum  of  minus  62  and  a  half 
degrees — the  lowest  yet  noted. 

Among  the  many  interesting  discoveries  of  the  party  were 
some  enormous  glaciers.  Many  were  found  by  Lieutenant 
Greely  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Hazen,  the  Icirgest  of  which  was 
named  Henrietta  Nesmith.  This  is  the  third  prominent  feature 
of  the  arctics  named  after  women.  The  others  are  Lady  Frank- 
lin Bay  and  Victoria  and  Albert  Mountains.  The  largest  glazier 
discovered,  and  perhaps  in  existence,  was  found  beyond  Lake 
Hazen,  in  Grinnell  Land,  toward  the  Polar  Ocean,  and  was  named 
after  Agassiz.  It  resembled  the  great  wall  of  China,  and  was  at 
first  so  christened.  It  forms  the  southern  4ce  cap  of  Grinnell 
Land,  and  is  separated  from  the  northern  ice  cap  by  sixty  miles. 
Looking  out  on  the  Polar  Sea,  not  far  from  this  glacier,  Lieuten- 
ant Lockwood  saw  the  northern  termination  of  Grinnell  Land, 
which  he  named  after  Sergeant  Brainerd,  who  followed  him 
persistently  and  faithfully  during  the  long  arctic  night.  To  the 
south  the  southern  termination  was  seen,  and  called  Cape  Lock- 
wood.  Beyond  was  open  water,  and  across  that  a  new  country, 
which  was  named  after  President  Arthur.  Grinnell  Land,  so 
thoroughly  explored  by  the  Greely  party,  may  be  called  the  land 
of  glaciers.  The  Agassiz  Glacier  is  now  the  most  northern,  and 
those  of  the  Grand  Tetons,  in  Wyoming,  the  most  southern, 
known  to  North  America.  If  these  enormous  ice  mountains  arc 
increasing  in  size  and  number,  it  would  not  be  too  much  to 
expect  that  the  temperature  of  the  entire  continent  is  gradually 
lowering. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  51)3 

DISCIPLINE  IN  CAMP. 

DURING  their  sojourn  in  the  arctic  regions  the  Greely  party 
was  subjected  to  a  most  salutary  discipline.  During  the  long 
arctic  night  the  explorers  lived  in  a  house  within  a  house.  They 
breakfasted  at  eight,  lunched  lightly  at  eleven  A.  M.  and  nine  p. 
M.,  and  dined  at  four.  Observations  were  taken  daily  in 
meteorology,  astronomy,  magnetism,  sea  temperatures,  ice  thick- 
nesses, tidal  motion,  and  velocity  of  sound  at  different  tempera- 
tures. Military  discipline,  one  hour's  exercise  per  day,  and  a 
weekly  bath  were  required  of  all.  The  living  apartments  were 
kept  clean.  National  holidays  were  observed  with  an  extra  din- 
ner, and  an  interchange  of  presents  on  Christmas.  Thus  the 
dread  disease  of  scurvy,  which  wore  out  two  ship's  crews  for 
Nares,  was  prevented,  and  a  fairly  contented  life  enjoyed. 

The  men  were  allowed  to  grow  full  beard,  except  under  the 
mouth,  where  it  was  clipped  short.  They  wore  knitted  mittens, 
and  over  these  heavy  seal-skin  mittens  were  drawn,  connected  by 
a  tanned  seal-skin  string  that  passed  over  the  neck,  to  hold  them 
when  the  hands  were  slipped  out.  Large  tanned-leather  pockets 
were  fastened  outside  the  jackets,  and  in  very  severe  weather 
jersevs  were  sometimes  worn  over  the  jackets  for  greater  pro- 
tection against  the  intense  cold. 

On  the  sledge  journeys  the  dogs  were  harnessed  in  a  fan- 
shaped  group  to  the  traces,  and  were  never  run  tandem.  In 
traveling,  the  men  were  accustomed  to  hold  on  to  the  back  of 
the  sledge,  never  going  in  front  of  the  team,  and  often  took  off 
their  heavy  overcoats  and  threw  them  on  the  load. 

The  instructions  issued  by  the  government,  by  which  Greely 
was  to  be  controlled  in  the  possibility  of  his  having  to  retreat 
from  Fort  Conger,  read  as  follows : 

"  In  case  no  vessel  reaches  the  permanent  station  in  1882,  the 
vessel  sent  in  1883  will  remain  in  Smith's  Sound  until  there  is 
danger  of  closing  by  ice,  and  on  leaving  will  land  all  her  sup- 
plies and  a  party  at  Littleton  Island,  which  party  will  be  pre- 
pared for  a  winter's  stay,  and  will  be  instructed  to  send  sledge 
parties  up  the  east  sidfe  of  Grinnell  Land  to  meet  this  party.  If 


594 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


not  visited  in  1882  Lieut.  Greely  will  abandon  his  station  not 
later  than  September  1,  1883,  and  will  retreat  southward  by 
boat,  following  closely  the  east  coast  of  Grinnell  Land  until  the 
relieving  vessel  is  met  or  Littleton  Island  is  reached." 


In  accordance  with  these  instructions,  after  spending  two  years 
at  Fort  Conger,  Greely  abandoned  the  station,  August  9,  1883, 
and  started,  with  his  entire  party,  all  of  whom  were  in  excellent 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  595 

health,  for  Cape  Sabine,  which  they  reached  after  a  dreadful 
journey  of  two  month's  duration. 

On  reaching  Cape  Sahine,  Lieut.  Garlington's  record  of  the 
loss  of  the  Proteus  (which  will  be  described  hereafter),  was  dis- 
covered, and  the  poor  fellows  then  learned  that  another  winter, 
on  short  allowance,  was  before  them.  For  eight  months,  be- 
tween October  21,  when  the  camp  was  established,  and  June  22, 
it  seems  Greely  and  his  followers  had  only  the  scant  allowance 
of  food  brought  with  them  from  Fort  Conger ;  some  supplies, 
much  damaged,  cached  in  1875  by  Sir  George  Nares  at  two  or 
three  points  passed  on.  the  retreat;  a  small  amount  saved  from 
the  Proofs  in  1882  (July  23),  and  landed  by  Liesi*.  'Darling- 
ton and  Colwell  on  the  beach. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  RETURN  FROM  FORT  CONGER. 

THE  march  from  Fort  Conger  tc  Cape  Sabme  was  replete  with 
intense  suffering  and  narrow  escapes.  Upon  reaching  Baird  In- 
let, on  the  29th  of  September,  Greely  had  to  abandon  his  noats 
and  was  adrift  for  thirty  days  on  an  ice-floe  in  Smith's  Sound. 
By  rare  good  luck  they  were  driven  upon  Cape  Sabine  on  the  31st 
of  October,  1883.  A  permanent  camp  was  established  here,  and 
named  Camp  Clay,  in  honor  of  a  nephew  of  the  great  statesman, 
who  accompanied  the  expedition  to  Disco  Island,  but  returned  on 
the  Proteus.  They  expected  relief  to  reach thsin  at  this  point, 
according  to  the  promises  made  in  his  instructions  from  the  gov- 
ernment. Littleton  Island  is  just  across  the  Sound  from  Camp 
Clay,  but  owing  to  violent  gales  and  ice,  they  were  unable  to 
make  a  crossing. 

INDESCRIBABLE     SUFFERING. 

ALL  the  provisions  brought  with  them  from  Fort  Conger  were 
fairly  exhausted  before  the  expedition  reached  Sabine  (Jape,  so 
that  when  they  went  into  camp,  it  was  with  the  gloomiest  pros- 


59(>  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

pects  possible  before  them.  An  occasional  auk  was  killed,  but 
very  few  were  secured,  as  they  usually  fell  in  the  water,  where 
they  could  not  be  recovered,  all  the  boats  being  lost.  Seals, 
walrus,  and  ducks  were  plentiful  and  continually  sporting  in  the 
sea  before  them  as  if  to  tempt  and  aggravate  their  hunger,  for 
none  of  these  could  have  been  secured  if  killed.  Their  deplor- 
able situation  was  rapidly  destroying  the  minds  of  the  men, 
weakened  by  the  lack  of  food  and  strained  by  despair,  and  Greely 
realized  the  increasing  necessity  of  securing  relief  at  all  hazards 
or  giving  up  to  fate.  As  a  last  resource,  in  which  there  was  but 
the  least  gleam  of  hope,  on  November  2d,  he  detailed  Corporal 
Joseph  Elison  and  three  others  to  attempt  the  recovery  of  the 
beef  cached  by  Capt.  Nares  at  Cape  Isabella  in  1879,  distant 
thirty  miles  from  camp.  The  weather  at  the  time  was  terrible, 
but  the  threatened  starvation  made  it  absolutely  necessary  to  ob- 
tain the  food  if  possible.  Sergeants  Rice  and  Linn,  and  Privates 
Fredericks  and  Elison  started  with  a  daily  ration  of  four  ounces 
of  meat,  eight  ounces  of  bread,  a  little  tea  and  five  ounces  of  al- 
cohol for  cooking  purposes,  with  the  temperature  35°  below  zero, 
the  wind  strong,  the  snow  soft  and  the  ice  hummocky.  In  four 
days  they  had  reached  the  cached  meat  and  were  on  their  return 
journey  on  the  morning  of  November  6.  They  had  left  their 
rations  and  sleeping-bags  at  Cape  Isabella,  where  they  had  en- 
camped on  the  ice,  and  started  with  only  a  cup  of  tea,  intending 
to  subsist  on  the  frozen  meat  and  save  the  extra  weight  of  sleep- 
ing-bags, provisions,  and  cooking-gear.  They  also  intended  to 
use  the  wooden  barrels  for  fuel,  and  thus  save  their  alcohol,  and 
return  to  the  ice  camp  for  dinner.  On  their  return  Elison  suffered 
with  thirst  and  began  to  eat  snow,  against  the  orders  and  advice  of 

**     ,  '       O 

the  others.  His  hands  and  mits  became  wet,  and,  as  a  northwest 
gale  was  blowing,  his  hands  were  soon  frozen.  The  snow  had  also 
caused  his  mouth  and  tongue  to  blister  and  he  rapidly  became  weak. 
The  men  hurried  into  camp  and  then  discovered  that  Elison  had 
also  frozen  his  feet.  They  cut  his  boots  off  and  put  him  into  the 
sleeping-bag,  and  restored  the  circulation  in  his  hands  and  feet 
by  friction.  After  a  terrible  night  they  ccmtintied  on  their 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDER8. 


597 


598  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

journey  with  the  temperature  at  25°  below  zero.  Elison  was  un- 
able to  help  haul  the  load,  which  had  been  increased  by  their 
sleeping  bags  and  camp  gear.  His  hands  and  feet  were  soon 
frozen,  and  Fredericks  was  obliged  to  help  him  along.  Kice  and 
Linn  struggled  manfully  with  the  sled,  but  the  whole  party 
was  soon  forced  by  exhaustion  to  go  into  camp.  The  men  passed 
another  horrible  night.  They  had  no  tent  and  their  sleeping 
bags  were  frozen  so  stiff  that  it  required  an  hour's  .work  to  unroll 
them.  The  men  gradually  worked  themselves  into  their  bags  as 
the  heat  of  their  bodies  thawed  them  out.  A  strong  wind,  drift- 
ing snow,  and  their  exhaustion  prevented  them  from  restoring  the 
circulation  in  their  frozen  companion.  Words  cannot  describe 
the  horrors  of  that  night.  When  they  broke  camp  they  were 
obliged  to  abandon  the  meat  or  their  companion,  and  they  chose 
the  former.  Elison,  noble  fellow,  begged  them  to  leave  him  to 
die  and  save  their  meat  and  his  starving  companions.  They  left 
the  meat  cached  on  the  ice  and  also  a  rifle  as  a  mark,  and  pushed 
ahead  to  Eskimo  Point,  where  they  could  secure  shelter  in  their 
old  camp.  After  reaching  the  camp  they  worked  from  7  in  the 
evening  until  3  in  the  morning,  and  partially  restored  the  circu- 
lation in  Elison's  hands  and  feet.  They  dried  his  clothes  and 
made  him  warm  tea,  the  only  warm  food  they  had  been  able  to 
secure,  the  wind  preventing  them  from  lighting  a  fire.  Early 
the  next  day  Elison  was  able  to  walk,  and  was  sent  ahead  while 
the  others  packed  and  hauled  the  sled.  They  soon  overtook 
him,  he  having  strayed  from  the  road.  His  hands  and  feet 
were  frozen  and  he  was  scarcely  able  to  see.  His  cheeks  and 
nose  were  also  frozen.  The  men  took  turns  at  leading  and  help- 
ing him,  while  two  hauled  the  sled.  At  last  it  required  all  three 
at  the  ropes,  and  they  tied  Elison's  arms  to  the  back  of  the  sled 
and  hauled  him  in  that  way.  His  legs  were  stiff  and  he  would 
frequently  fall  and  be  dragged  several  yards  before  his  cries 
were  heard.  Linn  began  to  fail,  and  it  was  decided  that  Rice 
should  push  ahead  while  Fredericks  remained  with  Elison  and 
Linn.  Rice,  with  a  little  frozen  beef,  started  for  assistance.  The 
other  men  remained  in  their  sleeping  bags  twenty-four  hour*, 


WORLDS  WONDERS. 


599 


when  Sergeant  Bruinerd  reached  them  and  gave  them  some  hot 
tea  and  soup  and  started  back  to  hurry  up  the  relief  party,  which 
arrived  ten  hours  later.  Lieutenant  Lockwood  and  Dr.  Pavy 
hauled  Elison  into  camp,  Fredericks  and  Linn  walking.  Elison's 
feet  were  frozen  beyond  cure  and  all  his  fingers  and  thumbs 
were  lost.  Linn  never  fully  recovered  from  the  exposure.  Rice 
was  unable  to  move  for  a  day,  and  Fredericks  was  prostrated  for 


ELISON'S  COMRADES   ASSISTING   HIM   ON  THE  MARCH. 

two  days.  Elisoii  was  carefully  cared  for  and  lived  through  the 
whole  winter,  receiving  the  best  of  rations  and  more  than  the 
others,  and  only  died  on  July  8.  His  joy  at  his  rescue  and  his 
terrible  suffering  were  more  than  his  weakened  constitution  could 
stand. 

This  calamitous  failure  to  bring  the  meat  from  Isabella  Camp 
plunged  the  already  despairing  party  into  more  wretched  woe ; 
their  few  stores,  though  portioned  out  in  exceedingly  small 


600  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

quantities,  grew  less  until  they  were  at  last  reduced  lo  >  soup 
made  of  boiled  seal-skins,  boots  cut  up  fine  and  mixed  with  rein- 
deer moss,  rock  lichens  and  small  shrimps.  They  also  made  tea 
from  the  saxifrage  and  arctic  willow,  but  in  all  this  unpalatable 
and  indigestible  mixture  there  was  very  little  nourishment,  for 
the  shrimps,  which  contained  most  substance,  were  least  in 
quantity,  as  they  were  so  small  that  it  required  more  than  1,000 
to  weigh  a  pound,  and  the  men  were  too  weak  to  catch  them. 
Famine  stalked  into  the  camp  at  length  and  began  pointing  its 
bony  finger  at  the  victims.  Still,  discipline  was  fairly  maintained 
among  the  starving  men.  The  rule  of  the  camp  was  to  allow  no 
man  to  sleep  longer  than  two  hours  at  a  time,  this  precaution 
being  necessary  to  prevent  torpor  and  death,  the  usual  accompa- 
niments of  intense  cold.  The  men  were  awakened  only  by  rough 
means  and  were  then  made  to  shake  themselves,  and  beat  and 
stamp  their  feet  to  restore  circulation,  for  it  must  be  remembered 
that  no  fuel  was  procurable,  and  that  there  was  nothing  but 
alcohol  left  to  cook  with. 

THE    EXECUTION    OF    PRIVATE    HENRY. 

IN  calamities  such  as  now  had  overtaken  the  Greely  party, 
stern  character  and  heroism  must  become  conspicuous  ;  when 
death  sits  in  judgment,  the  accused,  if  faint-hearted,  is  su!-e  to 
quail,  but  there  are  others  who  will  not  cringe  with  obsequious 
fear,  even  before  the  monster  though  he  were  a  thousand  times 
blacker  than  Dante  painted  him.  What  better  example  of  the 
heroic  can  be  found  than  in  the  character  of  Joseph  Elison,  beg- 
ging his  companions  to  leave  him  to  die,  that  they  might  thereby 
be  enabled  to  reach  their  starving  comrades  with  meat. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  conduct  of  Charles  B.  Henry,  in  steal- 
ing rations  from  his  fellow-sufferers,  shows  the  weaker  side  of 
human  nature,  at  a  time  when  only  the  more  heroic  qualities  are 
expected  to  manifest  themselves.  But  let  us  remember  that  the 
pangs  of  excessive  hunger,  which  had  disordered  the  brain  and 
enfeebled  the  frame,  rendered  these  men  scarcely  responsible  for 
their  acts,  and  in  considering  the  resorts  to  which  they  were 
forced  at  last,  let  it  be  with  charity. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  601 

Starvation  was  setting  its  seal  fast  on  the  party  ;  to  save  him- 
self, Private  Henry  forgot  his  duty  to  his  suffering  comrades,  and 
as  early  as  November  1st  he  began  stealing  provisions  from  the 
scanty  store.  At  first  he  was  not  suspected,  though  there  was  a 
suspicion  that  theft  had  been  committed,  aim  a  threat  was  made 
by  the  men  to  kill  any  one  they  might  detect  in  such  an  act. 

On  January  24th  the  party  was  near  perishing  from  asphyxia, 
and  several  of  its  members  were  unconscious.  Private  Henry, 
during  this  terrible  experience,  was  seen  by  one  of  the  Esquimaux 
to  steal  some  of  the  bacon  from  the  stores.  He  soon  afterward 
was  taken  ill  from  overloading  his  stomach,  and  vomited  up  bacon 
undigested.  Investigation  was  had  and  Henry  proved  guilty,  not 
only  of  this,  but  of  several  previous  thefts.  It  was  a  terrible 
Mate  of  affairs.  Henry's  indignant  comrades  demanded  his 
death.  Over  and  over  again  he  promised  to  reform,  but  this 
did  not  still  the  clamor  for  his  life.  Lieut.  Greely  remonstrated 
with  the  men,  and  all  were  quieted. 

A   LECTURE. 

TAKING  Henry  in  hand,  Lieut.  Greely  represented  to  him  the 
immensity  of  his  offense  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  necessity  for 
concentrated  action  in  the  party  if  all  would  be  saved.  He 
was  then  placed  under  guard  for  several  weeks,  until  increasing 
feebleness  of  the  other  members  of  the  party  rendered  it  neces- 
sary for  them  to  avail  themselves  of  his  personal  services. 
Shortly  afterward  he  stole  liquor  from  the  stores  and  became  in- 
toxicated. Again  his  comrades  clamored  for  his  life,  and  again 
Lieut.  Greely  restrained  them.  June  5th  he  again  stole  and  car- 
ried away  some  of  the  provisions.  Lieut.  Greely  spoke  firmly  to 
him,  and  told  him  it  would  be  policy  for  him  to  stop.  Said  the 
Lieutenant,  **  For  God's  sake,  Henry,  as  you  seem  to  have  no 
moral  sense,  remember  our  lives  depend  upon  our  holding  to- 
gether!" With  great  earnestness  Henry  promised  not  to  be 
guilty  of  theft  again.  But  Lieut.  Greely  felt  he  could  not  trust 
him.  After  revolving  in  his  mind  their  circumstances,  he,  on  his 
own  responsibility,  issued  a  written  order,  now  in  possession  of 
one  of  the  survivors,  commanding  that  Henry  be  shot  on  sight  of 


602  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

the  commission  of  any  more  thefts  of  food.  At  this  tio<e  the 
party  hud  left,  as  a  last  resort,  only  pieces  of  seal-skin  and  such 
shrimps  as  they  could  procure.  About  June  6th,  He  iry  went  to 
the  old  winter  quarters  at  Camp  Clay,  near  Cape  kabii  e,  and 
stole  some  of  the  last  seal-skin,  which  was  the  only  food  left. 
He  also  took  the  last  pair  of  boots  in  store.  Being  close!/  ques- 
tioned by  Lieut.  Greely,  he  admitted  his  guilt.  He  wa  .  again 
ready  with  promises  to  do  better. 

THE    SHOOTING. 

His  fate  was  upon  him.  He  was,  in  the  afternoon  of  thaj  day, 
a  little  distance  at  the  rear  of  the  summer  quarters,  alo:ie  by  him- 
self. The  written  order  for  his  execution  was  con  mitt  el  to 
three  of  the  party.  They  were  ordered  to  shoot  him,  t  ncou.iter- 
ing  as  little  danger  to  themselves  as  possible,  as  Hem  y  was  the 
strongest  of  the  party.  Sadly  the  men  departed  on  th<  ir  terrible 
errand.  Their  comrades,  left  in  the  camp,  turned  thciii  eyes  to 
the  ocean.  In  a  few  minutes  the  breeze  bore  to  their  ears  the 
sound  of  two  pistol  shots.  All  were  silent.  Slowl/,  after  a 
short  interval,  the  men  returned.  The  written  order  wa;  handed 
to  Lieut.  Greely,  and  the  horrible,  but  necessary,  exe<ulion  was 
over.  Henry  was  never  seen  again  alive. 

The  order  for  the  execution  was  that  afternoon  read  to 
the  survivors,  and  all  concurred  in  the  justice  and  necessity  of 
the  act. 

OFFICIAL    REPORT    OF    HENRY'S    EXKCUTION. 

UPON  his  return,  Greely  made  the  following  official  report  of 
the  execution  : 

PORTSMOUTH,  N.  H.,  August  llth. 

To  the  Adjuta.nl- General  of  the   United  States  Armi,,  through 
the  Chief  /Signal  Officer  of  the  United  Slates  Armr: 
SIR: — I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  on  June  6,    1884,  at 
Camp  Clay,  near  Cape  Sabine,  Grinnell  Land,  it  beca-ue  neces- 
sary for  me  to  order  the  military  execution  of  Private  Charles  B. 
Henry,  Fifth  Cavalry,  for  continued  thieving.     The  order  was 
given  in  writing,  on  my  individual  responsibility,  being  deemed 
absolutely  essential  for  the  safety  of  the  surviving  members  of 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  603 

the  expedition.  Ten  had  already  died  of  starvation,  and  two 
more  lay  at  the  point  of  death.  The  facts  inducing  my  action 
were  as  follows : 

Provisions  had  been  stolen  in  November,  1883,  and  Henry's 
complicity  therein  was  more  than  suspected.  March  24,  1884, 
the  party  nearly  perished  from  asphyxia  ;  while  several  men  were 
unconscious  and  efforts  being  made  for  their  restoration,  Private 
Henry  stole  about  two  pounds  of  bacon  from  the  mess  stores. 
He  was  not  only  seen  by  the  Esquimau,  Jans  Edwards,  but  his 
stomach  being  overloaded,  he  threw  up  undigested  bacon.  An, 
open  investigation  was  held  and  every  member  of  the  party  de- 
clared him  guilty  of  this  and  other  thefts.  A  clamor  for  his  life 
was  raised,  but  was  repressed  by  me.  I  put  him  under  surveil- 
lance until  our  waning  strength  rendered  his  physical  services  in- 
dispensable. Later,  he  was  found  one  day  intoxicated,  having 
stolen  the  liquor  on  hand  for  general  issue.  A  second  time  his 
life  was  demanded,  but  I  again  spared  him.  On  June  5th,  thefts 
of  provisions  on  his  part  having  been  reported  to  me,  I  had  a 
conversation  wiih  him,  in  which  I  appealed  to  his  practical  sense, 
pointing  out  what  was  necessary  to  our  preservation.  He  prom- 
ised entire  reformation,  but,  distrusting  him,  I  issued  a  written 
order  that  he  should  be  shot  if  detected  stealing. 

On  June  6th  he  not  only  stole  part  of  the  shrimps  for  our 
breakfast,  but  visiting,  unauthorized,  our  winter  camp,  stole  cer- 
tain seal-skins  reserved  for  food.  I  then  ordered  him  shot.  On 
his  person  was  found  a  silver  chronograph,  abandoned  by  me  at 
Fort  Conger  and  stolen  by  him.  In  his  bag  was  found  a  large 
quantity  of  seal-skin  boots  stolen  a  few  days  before  from  the 
hunter.  Suspecting  complicity  on  the  part  of  several,  I  ordered 
his  execution  by  three  of  the  most  reliable  men.  After  his 
death  the  order  was  read  to  the  entire  party  and  concurred  in  by 
every  member  as  being  not  only  just,  but  essential  to  our  safety. 
To  avoid  public  scandal  I  ordered  that  no  man  should  speak  of 
this  matter  until  an  official  report  was  made  of  the  facts. 

I  have  the  honor  to  request  that  a  court  of  inquiry  be  ordered, 
or  a  court-uiartial  convened,  should  the  honorable  Secretary  of 


604  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

War  deem  either  advisable.  In  this  case  I  have  thought  it  best 
not  to  ask  for  written  statements  of  the  surviving  members  of 
the  party  for  appendices  to  this  report,  lest  I  might  seem  to  be 
tampering  with  them.  I  have  not  asked,  since  our  rescue,  June 
22,  whether  their  opinions  concurring  in  my  action  have  changed 
or  not,  leaving  such  questions  to  your  action,  if  deemed  requisite. 
I  naturally  regret  thnt  circumstances  imposed  such  a  terrible 
responsibility  upon  me,  but  I  am  conscious  I  should  have  failed 
in  my  duty  to  the  rest  of  my  party  had  I  had  not  acted  promptly 
and  summarily. 

(Signed)  A.  W.  GKEELY. 

DEATH    PY    STARVATION. 

IT  was  a  terrible  thing  to  order  the  execution  of  a  comrade 
who  had  borne  with  them  the  sufferings  of  an  arctic  winter  with- 
out food  or  shelter,  but  the  party  could  not  allow  their  sympa- 
thies to  affect  justice  at  the  expense  of  their  o\vn  lives.  The 
death  of  Henry  was  an  inexorable  necessity. 

Starvation  and  cold  had  destroyed  several  of  the  party  before 
Henry  was  executed,  and  after  January  1,  1884,  the  death  rate 
was  appalling.  Seventeen  of  the  original  twenty-five  persons 
composing  the  expedition  perished  of  starvation,  the  names  of 
the  dead  recovered,  with  date  of  death,  being  as  follows  : 

Sergeant  Cross,  January  1,  1884:  "Wedenck,  an  Esquimau, 
April  5th  ;  Sergeant  Linn,  April  6th  ;  Lieutenant  Lockwood, 
April  9th;  Sergeant  Jewell,  April  12th;  Private  Ellis,  May 
19th  ;  Sergeant  Ralston,  May  23d  ;  Private  Whistler,  May 
24th  ;  Sergeant  Israelr  May  27th  :  Private  Henry,  June  6th  ; 
and  Private  Schneider,  June  18th.  The  names  of  the  dead 
buried  in  the  ice-foot,  with  the  date  of  death  (bodies  not 
recovered),  are  as  follows:  Sergeant  Rice,  April  6,  1884; 
Private  Bender,  Juue  6th  ;  Acting  Assistant  Sergeant  Pavy,  June 
6th  ;  and  Sergeant  Gardiner,  June  12th. 

Jans  Edwards,  one  of  Greely's  faithful  Esquimaux,  while  try- 
ing to  harpoon  a  seal,  broke  through  some  newly  formed  ice  on 
April  18th  and  was  drowned.  In  the  list  of  fatalities  appears  the 
)»sme  of  Lieutenant  Lockwood,  to  whose  energies  and  ambitious 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  605 

daring  the  United  States  owes  the  honor  of  having  its  standard 
planted  nearer  the  North  Pole  than  that  of  any  other  nation. 
How  we  should  have  rejoiced  at  his  return  and  with  gladness 
given  him  the  welcome  of  a  hero  ! 

DEATH    OF    SERGEANT   RICE. 

THE  death  of  Sergeant  Rice,  photographer  of  the  Greely  expe- 
dition, which  occurred  April  6th,  was  even  more  tragic  than  that 
of  Sergeant  Elison.  The  detail  of  men  sent  to  Cape  Isabella  to 
bring  supplies  from  the  cache  there,  were  forced  to  abandon  their 
loaded  sledge  on  the  return,  as  previously  related.  Pen  cannot 
picture  the  disappointment  felt  by  those  in  the  miserable  camp 
when  they  saw  the  party  return  without  food  and  dragging  the 
almost  lifeless  body  of  Elison  instead.  They  gave  a  true  report 
of  their  misfortunes,  of  having  been  compelled  to  abandon  the 
meat  brought  from  Cape  Isabella,  about  fifteen  miles  from  camp, 
in  order  to  save  their  companion  from  certain  death.  Starvation 
was  now  so  near  at  hand  that  Sergeants  Rice  and  Fredericks  vol- 
unteered to  bring  the  meat,  which  involved  a  journey  of  thirty 
miles  through  deep  snow  and  a  temperature  of  40°  to  60°  below 
zero. 

It  was,  at  best,  with  them  a  struggle  for  life,  so  the  two  heroes 
set  out  for  the  deserted  meat,  weakened  by  the  insufficient  food 
which  they  had  so  long  been  compelled  to  subsist  upon,  but 
strong  in  heart  and  purpose.  They  took  with  them  a  sledge,  rifle 
and  hatchet,  and  provisions  for  a  five  days'  journey,  which  al- 
lowance would  force  them  to  march  at  least  six  miles  a  day,  a 
thing  extremely  difficult  to  do  under  the  circumstances. 

For  three  days  the  two  brave  fellows  traveled,  but  without  be- 
ing able  to  find  the  meat,  as  it  was,  no  doubt,  now  covered  with 
snow.  Enfeebled  by  scanty  diet,  and  exhausted  by  excessive 
cold  and  exposure,  Sergeant  Rice  was  seized  with  a  blood-flux, 
which  so  rapidly  sapped  his  little  remaining  strength,  that  he 
speedily  succumbed  and  died  in  his  companion's  arms. 

The  horror  of  this  moment  to  Sergeant  Fredericks  is  beyond 
description  ;  alone  in  that  awful  field  of  sheeted  desolation,  with 
cteatb,  clinging  to  his  very  bosom.  The  spirit  of  mercy  seemed 


606  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

never  to  have  cast  eyes  even  upon  that  horrible  wilderness  of 
woeful  destitution,  and  all  nature  had  apparently  shunned  the 
bleak  expanse.  Yet  here  was  one  of  God's  noblest  creatures, 
battling  the  fiercest  tide  of  misery,  with  death  only  for  companion- 


DEATH  OF  SERGEANT  RICE. 


ship— and  lost !  Poor  Fredericks  camped  out  alone  that  night, 
and  stayed  beside  his  dead  comrade  until  he  could  dig  a  grave  in 
the  frozen  earth  with  his  hatchet,  in  which  he  interred  with  rev- 
erent respect  the  remains  of  a  brave  man,  a  noble  friend,  and  a 
generous  brother. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  GOT 

The  profound  grief  felt  at  the  loss  of  his  comrade  nerved 
Fredericks  to  greater  effort,  by  suppressing  hunger  and  cold, 
u.ider  his  acute  sufferings  of  heart.  The  little  store  of  provis- 
ions, from  which  only  one  mouth  was  now  to  be  fed,  was  drawn 
fiorn  more  generously,  and  supplied  strength  and  renewed  hope, 
so  that  after  three  more  days  of  wandering  over  the  frozen  plains, 
Fredericks  ^t  length  found  the  camp  again.  His  return  without 
fr.od  plunged  the  party  into  despair,  for  the  star  of  hope  appeared 
ix, w  to  set  forever. 

RESORT    TO    CANNIBALISM. 

No  one  is  able  to  decide  what  desperate  resources  should  be 
availed  of  in  dire  extremity.  There  are  recorded  in  the  pages 
of  history  su.'h  extraordinary  experiences  in  efforts  1o  stay  the 
ravages  of  starvation  that,  though  we  may  recoil  with  disgust  at 
such  loathsopie  practices,  we  are  none  the  better  prepared  to 
declare  that  inder  similar  circumstances  we  should  have  been 
more  circumt  pect  or  humane.  The  eating  of  snakes,  bugs, 
w<  rms,  and  icptiles  of  every  species  has  frequently  occurred, 
all  shocking  enough  to  our  well-fed  senses,  but  thoi-e  must  be 
forgotten  in  the  recollection  of  well-authenticated  cases  which 
we  have  of  cannibalism. 

An  Englis'i  officer,  during  a  successful  campaign  in  the  East*, 
many  years  ;igo,  expressed  a  wish  for  a  well-cooked  boar's  head. 
On  the  folio .ving  day  his  table  was  graced  with  what  was  repre- 
sented to  him  as  a  native  dish  of  the  food  that  he  desired,  prepared 
with  especial  care  by  one  of  the  most  noted  cooks  of  India.  The 
officer  ate  with  unusual  relish,  not  neglecting  to  bestow  mo>t 
extravagant  praise  on  the  manner  of  cooking,  and  begged  that 
the  recipe  for  preparing  boar's  head  might  be  given  him.  The 
reader  m?  y  imagine  his  horror  when  the  Englishman  afterward 
received  incontestable  proof  that  he  had  dined  off  a  slave's  head, 
who  had  been  killed  for  the  purpose,  instead  of  a  boar,  no  such 
animal  'jeing  known  in  that  country. 

It  is,  therefore,  the  loathsome  thought,  rather  than  any  disgust 
in  ta^te,  which  makes  the  very  heart  sick  in  contemplating  a 
repast  on  human  flesh.  Who  can  say  that  this  disgust  is  -not}, 


608  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

banished  by  overpowering  hunger,  like  mirages  of  crystal  waters 
rise  before  the  vision  of  those  suffering  from  thirst? 

Is  it  really  a  matter  for  wonder  that  the  Greely  party,  cast 
away  and  lost  among  the  ice-crags  and  pitiless  snows  of  a  per- 
petual wilderness  ;  freezing,  starving,  'lying,  with  minds  distorted 
by  acute  suffering,  where  all  nature  howled  a  requiem  of  despair, 
and  desolation  swept  round  their  tattered  tents  like  a  ghoul 
hunting  for  victims  ;  is  it  wonderful  that,  under  such  desperate 
circumstances,  the  surviving  members  of  the  Greely  party  should 
relieve  their  famine  on  the  pulseless  bodies  of  those  lying  under 
the  snow?  Self-preservation  being,  in  truth,  the  first  law  of 
nature,  every  one  must  answer,  "No." 

The  sense  of  shame — civilization's  most  enduring  mark — did 
not  abandon  these  brave  men  even  in  the  last  hour  of  their 
dreadful  trial,  for  as  hunger  drove  them  to  break  their  fast  upon 
their  dead  comrades,  they  waited  until  the  still  watches  of  night 
and  crept  in  half-bent  attitudes  to  where  the  bodies  lay  ;  then, 
scraping  back  nature's  winding  sheet,  they  began  the  butchery. 
From  arms,  legs  and  bodies  the  pale  flesh  was  stripped  with  keen 
blades  and  devour  only  as  starving  men  can  devour ;  but  that, 
for  grace,  God  was  asked  to  look  down  with  pity  and  forgive- 
ness, we  cannot  doubt.  Let  us  draw  a  veil  of  charity  over  this 
sad  and  wretched  scene. 


CHAPTEK  XXXIII. 

EFFORTS   TO   RELIEVE    THE    EXPLORERS. 

DURING  all  the  years  that  Greely  was  carrying  out  instructions 
and  battling  for  honor  and  life,  he  was  not  forgotten  by  our 
Government  or  people.  In  1882  a  relief  expedition  was  fitted 
out,  according  to  promise,  and  dispatched  for  Littleton  Island  in 
the  steamer  Neptune.  The  relief  party  left  St.  John's  with  a 
large  quantity  of  supplies  July  8th,  but  on  the  29th  following 
fp,und  an  imjitessabte  barrier  of  ice  extending  from  Cape  Sabine 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  609 

to  Cape  Inglesfield,  and  after  waiting  until  September  5th  for  an 
opening  in  the  pack,  (never  being  able  to  penetrate  it  further 
than  lat.  79°  20'),  returned  to  St.  John's,  warned  by  the  form- 
ation of  new  ice,  which  was  five  inches  thick,  that  the  attempt  to 
reach  the  colony  must  be  deferred  until  another  season.  The 
winter  quarters  of  Dr.  Kane  were  nearly  a  degree  further  south 
than  this.  The  Release  and  Arctic,  in  1855,  had  their  progress 
arrested  in  78°  and  32'.  Dr.  Haves'  ship  was  frozen  in  a  degree 
and  a  half  south  of  the  Neptune's  furthest.  The  Pandora,  in 
1876,  could  scarcely  more  than  enter  Smith's  Sound,  although 
the  Alert  and  Discovery  came  down  from  Lady  Franklin  Bay  the 
same  year.  Capt.  Hall,  in  1873,  with  the  Polaris;  Sir  George 
Nares,  in  1875,  with  the  Alert  and  Discovery ;  and  Lieut.  Greely, 
in  1881,  with  the  Proteus,  have  gone  beyond  this  barrier. 

The  Neptune  left  a  few  stores  cached  at  Beebe,  which  is  near 
the  point  selected  on  Littleton  Island,  and  then  hastened  back  to 
St.  John's  to  escape  the  ice  which  was  rapidly  moving  down. 

One  year  later,  June  28,  1883,  another  relief  expedition,  con- 
sisting of  the  steamer  Proteus  and  whaler  Yantic,  sailed,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenants  Garlingtou  and  Con  well,  for  Fort  Conger, 
hoping  to  reach  that  far  north  and  distribute  supplies  from  that 
point  at  the  several  caches  southward  to  Cape  Sabine. 

This  expedition  met  with  swift  disaster,  for,  a  few  miles  above 
Cape  Sabine,  the  Proteus  was  caught  in  the  ice  and  crushed  like 
an  egg-shell.  The  crew  barely  escaped  with  their  lives  onto  the 
ice,  and  were  picked  up  by  the  Yantic,  which  returned  with  them 
to  St.  John's,  thus  marking  a  conspicuous  failure. 

The  loss  of  the  Proteus  brought  to  light  a  most  serious  blun- 
der. The  landing  of  her  stores  at  Littleton  Island,  or  Cape 
Sabine,  at  the  mouth  of  Smith  Sound,  before  the  ship  herself 
encountered  the  perils  of  a  heavy  pack  north  of  Cape  Sabine,  was 
of  the  utmost  importance.  Prudent  Arctic  navigators,  under 
similar  circumstances,  have  always  endeavored  to  secure  the 
safety  of  their  food  supply  by  getting  the  bulk  of  it  on  solid  land 
as  soon  as  possible  after  reaching  their  base  of  operations,  and 
before  running  the  extreme  risk  which  is  necessarily  involved  in 
39  ' 


610 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


an  attempt  to  penetrate  any  part  of  the  great  Polar  pack.  The 
experienced  Arctic  navigator,  Leigh  Smith,  on  his  last  voyage  to 
Franz  Josef  Land,  took  the  precaution  to  put  a  large  part  of  his 
provisions  ashore  at  the  very  earliest  possible  moment,  so  as  not 
to  be  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  ice.  The  wisdom  of  this  course 
was  demonstrated  only  a  few  days  later  by  the  crushing  and 
sinking  of  his  ship.  If  the  bulk  of  the  Proteus'  stores  and  the 
ready-made  house  which  she  had  on  board  had  been  landed  in 


SINKING   OF  CAPT.   LEIGH   SMITH'S   SHIP. 

this  way  on  Littleton  Island  or  on  Cape  Sabine  as  soon  as  the 
ship  reached  either  of  these  points,  it  would  not  have  been  neces- 
sary for  Lieut.  Garlington  to  seek  safety  at  Upernavik,  800  miles 
away,  and  the  lives  of  Lieut.  Greely's  party  would  not  have  been 
sacrificed  after  their  arrival  where  they  had  a  right  to  expect  to 
find  food  and  shelter. 

It  has  been  frequently  asserted  that  Commander  Garlington 
did  not  have  the  thorough  confidence  of  his  crew,  in  consequence 
of  which  there  were  serious  dissensions  on  shipboard,  amounting 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  611 

to  almost  a  mutiny.  The  orders  issued  from  Washington  appear 
to  have  been  also  misunderstood,  so  that  there  could  have  been 
no  other  result  than  failure  anticipated. 

THE    THIRD    RELIEF    EXPEDITION. 

THE  ill  results  of  the  Neptune  and  Proteus  expeditions  did  not 
wholly  stifle  public  interest  in  the  relief  of  Greely,  though  it  did 
give  rise  to  a  pretty  general  impression  that  any  further  attempts 
would  be  an  unjustifiable  waste  of  public  money.  It  may  be 
safely  asserted  that  not  one  person  in  a  thousand  believed  Greely 
or  any  of  his  men  had  survived  the  winter  of  1883-84,  since  it 
was  known,  from  the  instructions  given  him  before  sailing,  that 
he  must  be  traveling  toward  Cape  Sabine  destitute  of  provisions, 
and  therefore  must  have  perished.  Nevertheless,  the  few  who 
still  believed  or  hoped  that  the  party  might  yet  be  relieved,  had 
sufficient  influence  to  induce  the  Government  to  make  another 
effort  to  reach  the  explorers. 

Congress  made  an  ample  appropriation  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  preparations  for  a  third  relief  expedition  were  made  with  the 
utmost  care.  The  English  Government,  which  had  taken  very 
great  interest  in  Greely,  made  an  unconditional  tender  to  the 
United  States  of  the  good  steamer  Alert,  to  assist  in  the  search, 
a  gift  that  evidenced  the  warm  sympathy  felt  in  England  for  the 
lost  explorers.  This  steamer  was  the  advance  ship  of  Sir  George 
Nares'  expedition  in  1875,  and  was  specially  fitted  for  voyaging 
amid  ice-floes  and  ice-bergs.  The  United  States  purchased  two 
other  vessels,  the  Thetis  and  Bear,  both  of  which,  however, 
were  much  smaller  than  the  Alert,  but  were  strongly  built  and 
well  suited  for  such  service  as  they  were  now  to  be  used  for. 
These  ships  were  brought  to  America  and  specially  fitted  for  their 
voyage,  being  strengthened  by  every  appliance  and  means  known 
to  modern  engineering,  while  the  comfort  of  the  crews  was 
equally  provided  for. 

The  command  of  the  expedition  was  given  to  Commander  W. 
S.  Schley,  who  was  placed  in  immediate  charge  of  the  Thetis, 
while  Lieut.  Emory  was  given  command  of  the  Bear,  and  Com- 
mander Coffin  assigned  to  the  Alert.  Enlistment  of  volunteers 


612  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

for  the  voyage  was  then  begun,  and  the  list  of  140  men  all  told, 
was  completed  by  the  middle  of  April,  1884.  No  other  expedi- 
tion was  ever  so  well  equipped  for  an  Arctic  voyage  as  this  one, 
and  great  expectations  were  aroused  in  consequence.  Previous 
to  starting,  Commander  Schley  issued  the  following  order  to 
Lieut.  Emory : 

"  Should  you  receive  any  information  before  my  arrival  that 
Lieut.  Greely's  party,  or  any  of  them,  have  come  as  far  South 
as  Littleton  Island,  you  are  to  seek  the  earliest  occasion  to  reach 
them.  This  fact  you  will  report  to  me  in  a  communication  to  be 
left  at  Disco  or  Upernavik,  or  both  places.  Should  you  not  hear 
at  Disco  or  Upernavik  of  Greely  or  his  party  having  reached 
Littleton  Island,  you  may  proceed  beyond  Upernavik,  but  you 
will  not,  under  any  circumstances,  advance  into  Smith  Sound 
until  one  of  the  other  vessels  of  the  Greely  relief  expedition  shall 
arrive  at  Littleton  Island." 

DISCOVERY   OF    THE    GREELY   PARTY. 

THE  Bear  sailed  from  New  York  April  24th,  the  Thetis  fol- 
lowed May  1st,  while  the  Alert,  being  a  steamer,  and  thus  able  to 
overtake  the  sailing  vessels  before  they  should  reach  Disco,  de- 
ferred her  departure  until  May  10th. 

The  ships  made  a  favorable  voyage,  meeting  with  many  obsta- 
cles, but  none  that  seriously  impeded  their  progress.  On  the 
18th  of  June  the  Bear  and  the  Thetis,  in  company  with  several 
whalers,  passed  into  clear  water  off  Cape  York,  and  being  now 
in  a  region  where  they  might  hope  to  find  traces  of  the  Greely 
party,  colors-were  hoisted  to  attract  attention.  On  Sunday,  the 
22d,  both  ships  arrived  at  Cape  Sabine  and  made  fast  to  the  ice, 
and  parties  were  landed  to  scour  the  hills  for  records. 

THE    RESCUE. 

THE  Bear's  steam  launch  whistled  at  frequent  intervals,  hoping 
thereby  to  attract  the  attention  of  either  the  Greely  party  or 
Esquimaux,  should  there  be  any  in  the  neighborhood.  It  hap- 
pened that  the  welcome  sound  fell  upon  the  ears  of  Sergeants 
Brainerd  and  Long  as  they  lay  in  their  torn  and  tattered  teiit, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  613 

only  able  to  stir  out  by  joint  assistance.  When  Long  got  clear 
of  the  entanglement  of  the  tent,  which  had  been  swept  to  the 
ground,  he  rose  to  his  feet  with  great  difficulty,  and  succeeded  in 
clambering  up  to  a  rock  that  gave  the  most  extensive  view  in  that 
neighborhood.  Brainerd  went  back  to  the  tent,  but  Long  re- 
mained, looking  out  searchiugly  in  every  direction  for  some 
strange  object.  At  length  he  SM.W  the  unwonted  sight  of  a  large 
black  object  about  a  mile  distant,  which  at  first  looked  like  a 
rock,  but  he  knew  there  was  no  rock  in  that  line.  Suddenly  the 
advancing  steam  launch  changed  its  course,  and  Long  recognized 
the  approach  of  the  rescuers.  He  came  down  from  the  rock, 
went  toward  the  camp,  raised  the  flag-pole  and  flag,  which  had 
been  blown  down  during  a  gale,  and  held  it  for  about  two  minnts, 
until  his  strength  gave  out,  and  it  was  blown  once  more  to  the 
ground. 

The  look-out  from  the  steam  launch  had  spied  Long,  and  under 
a  full  head  of  steam  drove  through  bursting  billows  with  all  pos- 
sible speed  toward  the  nearest  point  for  landing,  while  Long  tot- 
tered in  the  direction  of  the  little  vessel,  falling  at  every  few 
paces  from  sheer  weakness,  but  rising  again  under  the  stimulating 
influence  of  hope,  until  at  length,  within  nearly  half  a  mile  of 
the  place  where  the  tug  had  landed,  he  fell  into  the  arms  of  Cap- 
tain Ash,  who  was  the  first  of  the  relief  party  to  reach  him. 
Brainerd  was  too  weak  to  follow,  and  had  to  remain  by  the  tent, 
where  he  prayed  that  the  hope  which  had  suddenly  sprung  into 
being  might  not  prove  the  delusive  dream  of  a  chaotic  mind. 

Capt.  Ash  pushed  on  quickly  to  ward  the  tent,  with  Commander 
Schley  and  five  men,  upon  reaching  which  a  sight  met  their  gaze 
which  beggars  description. 

Camp  Clay,  into  which  Lieutenant  Greely  and  his  entire  party 
moved  on  November  1,  1883,  was  situated  about  five  miles  west 
of  Cape  Sabine,  in  a  little  cove,  about  the  same  distance  from 
Cocked  Hat  Island.  This  site  was  selected  because  it  was  near 
the  scattered  provisions  that  they  found  there,  and  because  there 
were  plenty  of  small  rocks  near  by  with  which  to  build  the  house, 
the  party  being  too  weak  to  transport  them  from  any  distance. 


tti4  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

There  was  also  a  small  lake,  which  supplied  them  with  water  up 
to  the  middle  of  February. 

In  May  the  party  moved  into  the  tent,  at  the  place  where  they 
were  found,  on  a  slight  elevation  overlooking  the  former  cainpr 
and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  to  the  eastward  of  it. 
This  change  was  made  owing  to  the  summer  thaw  setting  in  and 
washing  out  their  winter  quarters. 

The  scene  about  the  entire  camp  was  one  of  the  most  wretched 
imaginable.  Quantities  of  debris,  old  clothes,  cans,  camp  uten- 
sils— everything  but  fuel  and  food — covered  the  ground.  Valu- 
able chronometers,  barometers,  and  other  meteorological  instru- 
ments were  streAvn  about,  showing  the  disregard  that  the  poor 
fellows  had  come  to  have  at  the  last  for  anything  but  life.  The 
tent  was  an  army  wall-tent,  nine  by  nine  feet,  and  was  pitched 
with  its  opening  to  the  north-east. 

The  first  words  that  gave  signs  of  life  to  the  rescuing  party 
were  those  of  Greely,  who  said,  in  a  feeble  voice,  "  Cut  the  tent." 
The  front  and  western  sides  had  blown  down,  and  the  poles  were 
lying  across  three  of  the  party,  who  were  stretched  out  in  their 
sleeping-bags,  entirely  too  weak  to  lift  the  burden  off.  They 
had  been  in  this  condition  sixty-two  hours.  Forty-eight  hours 
more  was  the  most  that  any  of  the  party  thought  they  could  have 
survived  under  the  circumstances. 

The  winter  house  was  twenty-five  by  seventeen  feet,  with  walls 
of  small  rocks,  about  six  inches  in  thickness,  piled  to  a  height  of 
three  feet.  Over  the  centre  was  laid  the  Neptune's  whale-boat, 
forming  a  ridge  pole,  and  canvass  was  stretched  across  this  for  a 
roof.  Blocks  of  snow  were  banked  on  the  outside  to  keep  out 
the  wind.  The  door  was  on  the  south  side,  and  was  about  two- 
and-a-half  by  three  feet,  with  a  covered  tunnel  of  the  same  size 
running  out  about  twenty-five  feet.  There  were  no  windows, 
and  their  only  source  of  light  during  the  dark,  dreary  winter 
nights  was  an  Esquimau  blubber-lamp.  At  the  best  it  was  a 
wretched  hovel. 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS.  (>15 

OFFICIAL    REPORT    OF    THE    DISCOVERY. 

THE  report  of  Commander  Wintield  Scott  Schley,  of  the  ex- 
pedition under  his  command  for  the  relief  of  the  Greelv  party, 
was  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  October  21,  1884. 
It  cites  the  orders  under  which  the  expedition  was  organized,  and 
then  enters  upon  a  graphic  narrative  of  the  events  of  the  voyage. 

Early  in  the  evening  of  June  7,  the  ships  Thetis  and  Bear 
reached  Duck  Islands,  which  locality  Commander  Schley  terms 
"  a  desired  outpost  for  advance  into  the  more  perilious  dangers 
of  Melville  Bay."  Violent  gales,  snow  storms  and  dense  fogs 
now  prevailed,  delaying  further  progress  until  the  morning  of 
June  11,  when,  open  water  having  been  observed  through  rifts 
in  the  fog  to  the  northwest,  the  lines  were  cast  off  and  the 
voyage  was  resumed. 

The  usual  perils  of  Arctic  navigation  were  experienced  upon 
the  northward  journey  from  this  point.  Constant  and  anxious 
watch  was  kept  for  opportunities  to  make  headway.  Mile  by  mile 
a  way  was  forced  around  obstructions  and  through  dangerous 
and  tortuous  leads  until,  on  the  morning  of  June  18,  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Cape  York  was  reached.  Here  communication  was 
opened  with  the  natives,  but  no  tidings  of  Greely's  party  could 
be  obtained, 

Littleton  Island  was  reached  on  June  21,  up  to  which  time 
nothing  had  been  heard  of  the  objects  of  the  search.  The  pas- 
sage across  to  Payer  Harbor  was  made  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
22d,  during  a  heavy  gale,  and  the  vessels  were  moored  to  the 
ice-foot  with  ice-anchors.  Parties  were  started  at  once  to  visit 
the  cairns  and  caches  at  this  point,  in  order  that  no  opportunity 
should  be  lost  to  push  northward  if  no  tidings  of  Greely  were  to 
be  found.  Soon  cheers  were  heard  above  the  roaring  winds  by 
those  on  shipboard,  but  could  not  be  located  accurately.  In  a 
few  minutes,  seaman  Yevvell  made  his  appearance,  almost  out  of 
breath,  and  reported  that  Greely  and  his  party  were  at  Cape  Sa- 
bine.  He  brought  and  delivered  to  Commander  Schley  records 
found  bv  Lieut.  Tn.tmt  in  a  cairn  on  Brevoort  Island.  The 
records  had  been  chiefly  prepared  by  Lieut.  Greely  in  person  and 


616  THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

were  found  to  bear  dates  of  eight  and  nine  months  previous. 
The  latest  paper,  written  Sunday,  October  21,  1883,  was_  as 
follows : 

"  My  party  is  now  permanently  in  camp  on  the  west  side  of  a 
small  neck  of  land  which  connects  the  wreck  cache  cove,  and 
the  one  to  its  west,  distant  about  equally  from  Cape  Sabine  and 
Cocked  Hat  Island.  All  well." 

Shortly  after  Yewell's  arrival,  Ensign  Harlow  signalled  from 
Stalknecht  Island  :  "  Send  five  men.  I  have  found  all  Greely's 
records,  instruments,  etc." 

Lieut.  Colwell  was  now  instructed  to  proceed  to  the  wreck 
camp  cache,  and  if  any  of  the  party  were  alive,  to  inform  them 
that  their  relief  was  at  hand.  Commander  Schley  followed  in 
the  Bear,  leaving  the  Thetis  with  instructions  to  pick  up  the  re- 
maining searching  parties,  and  then  follow  the  Sear. 

As  the  steam  cutter  reached  the  wreck  camp  cache,  Lieut. 
Colwell  and  Ice-Masters  Ash  and  Norman  discovered  Sergeant 
Long  reclining  on  the  rocks.  Taking  him  into  the  cutter,  and 
learning  from  him  the  location  of  the  camp,  they  went  to  it  and 
announced  to  Lieut.  Greely  the  coming  of  relief.  Ice-Master 
Norman  returned  to  the  steam  cutter  from  the  camp  and  took 
Long  off  at  once  to  the  Bear.  Long  was  too  weak  to  get  on 
board  himself,  and  was  carried  up  the  side  by  the  crew  and  placed 
on  a  chair  in  the  saloon.  Full  particulars  having  been  learned 
from  him  in  a  few  moments,  Commander  Schley,  Avith  Lieut. 
Emory,  Ensign  Reynolds,  Dr.  Ames  and  several  of  the  crew  of 
the  Bear,  went  ashore  and  reached  Greely's  camp  about  nine,  P. 
M.  Lieut.  Colwell  now  reported  that  he  found  the  tent,  covering 
the  party,  blown  down  on  them  and  that  he  had  partially  raised 
it  with  the  assistance  of  Ash  and  Norman,  and  had  given  the 
survivors  some  milk  and  beef  extract.  Signal  was  made  to  the 
TJietis  to  send  more  officers  and  men  with  Ensisni  Harlow  and 

o 

the  photographic  instruments;  also  to  send  clothing,  blankets, 
and  stretchers.  To  this  signal,  Chief  Engineer  Melville,  Dr. 
Green,  Lieutenants  Taunt  and  Lemly,  and  Ensign  Harlow,  of  the 
Thetis,  and  Lieut.  Usher,  of  the  Bear,  responded.  These  officers 


THE    WORLD* S    WONDERS.  617 

were  assigned  various  duties  in  connection  with  the  removal  of 
the  living  and  the  dead,  their  effects,  etc.  The  doctors  were 
left  to  administer  stimulants  to  Lieut.  Greely,  Sergeant  Elison, 
Sergeant  Brninerd,  Hospital-Steward  Bierderbick,  Sergeant 
Fredericks  and  Private  Connell,  who  were  found  alive  in  this 
wretched  tent. 

All  the  survivors,  except  Long,  were  found  in  the  tent,  but 
Brainerd,  Bierderbick  and  Fredericks  subsequently  emerged  and 
insisted  that  they  were  strong  enough  to  walk  to  the  boat.  It 
required  but  a  short  time  to  demonstrate  their  mistake,  and  they, 
with  the  others,  were  carried  upon  stretchers. 

By  11  P.  M.  the  survivors  were  so  far  strengthened  by  stimu- 
lants that  all  were  removed  to  the  ships — Lieut.  Greely,  Sergeant 
Brainerd,  Hospital-Steward  Bierderbick  and  Private  Connell  to 
the  Thetis;  Sergeants  Fredericks  and  Elison  to  the  Bear.  The 
gale,  which  had  blown  all  day,  increased  to  a  hurricane  during 
the  night.  Work  with  boats,  therefore,  was  both  difficult  and 
dangerous.  With  much  difficulty  the  ships  were  kept  head  to 
the  wind.  The  frequent  squalls  often  drove  them  off,  broadside 
to,  and  while  in  such  position,  without  sail,  their  rails  would  be 
driven  almost  into  the  water.  Although  the  shore  was  distant, 
at  times,  hardly  one  hundred  feet,  the  boats  would  nearly  swamp 
in  traversing  that  short  distance. 

The  work  of  exhuming  the  bodies  of  the  dead  for  transporta- 
tion to  the  United  States  was  carried  on  under  the  orders  of 
Lieut.  Emory,  and  so  energetically  and  promptly  performed  that 
the  ships  were  able  to  start  for  Payer  Harbor  at  four  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  June  23. 

Commander  Schley  describes  as  follows  the  impressive  scene 
inside  Greely 's  tent : 

"Lieutenant  Greely  was  found  in  his  sleeping  bag,  his  body 
inclined  forward  and  head  resting  upon  his  left  hand.  The  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  was  open  and  held  in  his  right  hand.  He 
appeared  to  be  reading  prayers  to  Private  Connell,  whose  condi- 
tion was  most  desperate  and  critical.  He  was  cold  to  the  waist ;  all 
sensation  of  hunger  gone  ;  was  speechless  and  almost  breathless  ; 


618  THE    WORLD  *S    WONDERS. 

his  eyes  were  fixed  and  glassy.  Indeed,  his  weakness  was  such 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  he  swallowed  the  stimulants  given  him 
by  Drs.  Green  and  Ames  ;  his  jaws  had  dropped,  his  heart  was 
barely  pulsating,  and  his  body  temperature  very  low. 

"This  tender  scene  of  a  helpless,  almost  famished  officer  con- 
soling a  dying  companion,  was  in  itself  one  that  brought  tears  to 
the  eyes  of  the  strongest  and  stoutest  of  those  who  stood  about 
them  on  the  merciful  errand  of  relief. 

"Sergeants  Brainerd  and  Fredericks  and  Hospital-Steward 
Bierderbick  were  extremely  weak  and  hardly  able  to  stand  ;  they 
were  no  longer  able  to  venture  away  from  their  camp  to  seek 
food,  nor  to  prepare  the  simple  diet  of  boiled  seal-skin,  nor  to 
collect  lichens,  nor  to  catch  shrimps,  upon  which  they  had  to 
depend  to  a  great  extent  to  sustain  life.  Their  faces,  hands  and 
limbs  were  swollen  to  such  an  extent  that  they  could  not  be 
recognized.  This  indicated  that  the  entire  party  had  but  a  short 
lease  of  life — probably  not  more  than  forty-eight  hours  at  most. 
This  fact  was  recognized  by  them  all,  and  had  come  to  them  from 
their  experience  during  that  long  and  desolate  winter  in  watching 
their  dying  companions,  as  one  after  another  passed  away  from 
among  them  forever. 

"Poor  Sergeant  Elison  was  found  in  his  sleeping  bag,  where 
he  had  lain  helpless  and  hopeless  for  months,  with  hands  and 
feet  frozen  off.  Strapped  to  one  of  the  stumps  was  found  a 
spoon,  which  some  companion  had  secured  there  to  enable  him 
to  feed  himself.  His  physical  condition  otherwise  appeared  to 
be  the  best  of  any  of  the  survivors,  and  this  may  be  attributed 
to  the  fact  that  each  of  his  companions  had  doled  out  to  him  from 
their  small  allowance  of  food  something  to  help  him,  on  account 
of  his  complete  helplessness  to  add  anything  to  his  own  by 
hunting  about  the  rocks  for  lichens  or  shrimps.  He  suffered  no 
waste  of  strength  by  exertion  incident  thereto.  This  care  of 
Elison  was  such  as  only  brave  and  generous  men,  suffering  with 
each  other  under  the  most  desperate  circumstances,  could  think  of. 

"Sergeant  Long  was  very  much  reduced,  though  in  somewhat 
better  condition  than  some  of  the  others.  His  office  of  hunter 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  filO 

for  the  starving  party  had  made  it  necessary  to  increase  slightly 
his  pittance  of  food  to  maintain  his  strength,  that  he  might  con- 
tinue the  battle  for  food  and  life  to  the  helpless.  In  his  case, 
however,  the  effect  of  this  continued  effort  had  told  its  story  in 
his  wasted  form.  Shorter  and  shorter  journeys  were  made  in 
good  weather,  while  in  the  frequent  bad  weather  of  that  region 
his  strength  was  so  much  impaired  that  when  the  joyful  signal 
whistle  was  heard  he  had  only  enough  left  to  stagger  out  to  the 
rocks  overlooking  the  water  to  see  if  the  signal  had  proceeded 
from  ships  in  sight.  His  first  visit  was  a  bitter  disappoint- 
ment, as  he  saw  nothing.  A  second  visit,  fifteen  minutes  later, 
brought  him  within  fifty  yards  of  the  Bear's  steam-cutter  and  in 
view  of  the  relief  ships  coming  around  Cape  Sabine.  When  the 
steam-cutter  ran  into  the  beach  where  Long  was  seen  he  rolled 
down  the  ice-covered  cliff  and  was  taken  into  the  cutter.  He 
informed  Lieutenant  Colwell  that  the  location  of  the  camp  was 
just  over  the  cliff. 

"In  the  case  of  Sergeant  Elison  the  medical  officers  were  fear- 
ful from  the  first  that  his  chances  of  life  were  very  small.  As 
soon  as  proper  food  was  available  and  the  digestive  functions 
should  be  re-established  fully,  the  healthful  round  of  blood  cir- 
culation would  begin  its  distribution  of.  new  life  to  the  injured 
parts,  and  inflammation  would  naturally  occur.  If  Elison's 
strength  should  increase  more  rapidly  than  the  inflammation,  am- 
putation of  the  injured  parts  would  perhaps  save  his  life.  Sev- 
eral days  after  his  rescue,  June  28,  Dr.  Green  reported  that 
Elison  was  threatend  with  congestion  of  the  brain.  The  symp- 
toms increased  rapidly  until  the  poor  fellow  lost  his  reason.  At 
Godhaven  his  condition  was  so  critical  that  the  surgeon  of  the 
expedition,  after  consultation,  determined  to  amputate  both  feet 
above  the  ankle  as  the  only  chance  of  life  left  the  sufferer.  Dis- 
ease, however,  triumphed,  and  amid  the  bleak  scenes  that  had 
surrounded  him  for  three  years  in  his  heroic  sacrifice,  and  within 
the  desolate  solitude  of  that  region  of  everlasting  ice  and  snow, 
surrounded  by  his  sorrowing  comrades,  he  passed  away  about 
three  A.  M.  of  July  7,  three  days  after  the  amputation. 


620  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

"Lieutenant  Greely  was  physically  the  weakest,  but  mentally 
the  most  vigorous  of  his  party.  He  had  lain  in  hfs  sleeping  bag 
for  weeks  on  account  of  his  gradually  failing  strength.  He  was 
unable  to  stand  alone  for  any  length  of  time,  and  was  almost 
helpless  except  in  a  sitting  posture  ;  all  pangs  of  hunger  had 
ceased  ;  his  appearance  was  wild  ;  his  hair  was  long  and  unkempt ; 
his  face  and  hands  were  covered  with  sooty  black  dirt ;  his  body 
was  scantily  covered  with  worn  out  clothes  ;  his  form  was  wasted, 
his  joints  were  swollen,  and  his  eyes  were  sunken. 

"  His  first  inquiry  was  if  they  were  not  Englishmen,  but  when 
he  was  told  that  we  were  his  own  countrymen,  he  paused  for  a 
moment  as  if  reflecting,  then  said,  '  And  I  am  glad  to  see  you.' 

"  The  condition  of  his  camp  was  in  keeping  with  the  scene 
inside  the  tent,  desperate  and  desolate  ;  the  bleak  barrenness  of 
the  spot,  over  which  the  wild  Arctic  bird  would  not  fly,  the  row 
of  graves  on  a  little  ridge,  one  hundred  feet  away,  with  the  pro- 
truding heads  and  feet  of  those  lately  buried,  a  sad  but  silent 
witness  to  the  daily  increasing  weakness  of  the  little  band  of  sur- 
vivors ;  the  deserted  winter  quarters  in  the  hollow  below,  with 
its  broken  wall  invaded  by  the  water  from  the  melting  snow  and 
ice  above  it ;  the  dead  bodies  of  two  companions  stretched  on  the 
ice  foot  that  remained  ;  the  wretched  apology  for  cooking  uten- 
sils improvised  by  them  in  their  sore  distress,  hardly  deserving  the 
name  ;  the  scattered  and  worn  out  clothes  and  sleeping  bags  of 
the  dead  ;  the  absence  of  all  food  save  a  few  cupfuls  of  boiled 
seal-skin  scraps;  the  wild  and  weird  scene  of  snow,  ice  and 
glaciers  overlooking  and  overhanging  this  desolate  camp,  com- 
pleted a  picture  as  startling  as  it  was  impressive.  I  hope  never 
again  in  my  life  to  look  upon  such  wretchedness  and  such  desti- 
tution. The  picture  was  more  startling  and  more  deeply  pathetic 
than  I  had  ever  dreamed  could  be  possible.  In  beholding  it  I 
stood  for  a  moment  almost  unmanned,  and  then  realized  that  if 
the  expedition  had  demonstrated  any  one  thing  more  than 
another  it  was  that  an  hour  had  its  value  to  at  least  one  of  that 
party.  Stouter  hearts  than  mine  felt  full  of  sorrow.  Eyes  that 
had  not  wept  for  years  were  moistened  with  tears  in  the  solemnity 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  621 

of  that  precious  hour  in  the  lives  of  that  heroic  littlo  band  of 
sufferers,  until  this  moment  so  hopeless  and  helpless." 

PREPARING   THE    DEAD    FOR    TRANSPORTATION. 

A  PORTION  of  the  report  is  devoted  to  a  detailed  descrij>;ion  of 
the  exhuming  of  the  dead  and  the  preparation  of  the  bodies  for 
transportation.  In  reference  to  the  condition  of  the  bodies 
Commander  Schley  says  : 

"In  preparing  the  bodies  of  the  dead  for  transportation  in 
alcohol  to  St.  John's,  it  was  found  that  six  of  them — Lieutenant 
Kislingbury,  Sergeants  Jewell  and  Kalston,  Privates  Whistler, 
Henry  and  Ellis — had  been  cut,  and  the  fleshy  parts  removed  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent.  All  other  bodies  were  found  intact. 
When  the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  exposed  in  preparing  them 
the  identification  was  found  to  be  complete.  Some  of  them  could 
be  recognized  by  aid  of  a  picture  taken  with  us  from  home  ; 
others,  whose  features  had  decayed,  were  identified  by  other 
characteristics.  I  am  therefofl  satisfied  that  no  mistake  was 

^ 

made  in  this  important  matter,  %hich  so  impressed  us  from  the 
beginning." 

Maurice  Council  was  so  exhauste)S^by  starvation  that  when 
found  he  was  delirious  and  remainecwfcholly  unconscious  for 
several  days  after  his  rescue.  When  ;fi^tised  by  the  rescuers 
he  wildlv  exclaimed  :  "For  God's  sake  lot  me  die  in  peace."  A 
transfer  of  the  survivors  to  the  TJietis  and  Bear,  which  lay  off 
shore  about  300  yards,  was  attended  with  great  difficulty. 
There  was  a  terrific  gale  blowing  from  the  southwest.  A  heavy 
sea  was  running  and  a  formidable  ice  nip  was  apparently  inevita- 
ble. Lieut.  Greely  and  the  other  six  survivors  had  to  be 
transferred  from  their  camp  to  a  steam  launch  and  whaleboat  in 
their  sleeping  bags,  and  while  steaming  from  land  to  the  ships 
the  destruction  of  the  whole  party  at  one  time  seemed  certain. 
The  sea  swept  furiously  over  them.  At  length  they  were  safely 
placed  on  board  the  rescuing  squadron,  where  every  possible 
preparation  had  been  made  to  insure  their  recovery. 


&22  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

THE    DEAD. 

AFTER  removing  the  survivors,  the  rescuing  party  turned  their 
attention  to  recovering  the  dead  bodies,  which  lay  under  the 
snow  and  ice,  some  in  marked  and  others  in  unmarked  graves. 
Twelve  of  the  victims  were  dug  out  of  their  ice-beds  and  carried 
to  the  Thetis,  where  they  were  dressed  in  becoming  winding 
sheets,  preparatory  to  bringing  them  back  to  the  green  hills  of 
their  birth  for  honored  burial. 

The  Alert  had  become  separated  from  her  companion  vessels 
in  a  gale,  and  was  not,  therefore,  present  at  the  recovery,  but  the 
three  were  again  united,  on  the  return  journey,  off  Wilcox  Head. 
Upon  arriving  at  Upernavik,  July  2d,  Commander  Schley  dis- 
patched the  Alert  and  her  tender,  the  Loch  Garry,  to  Godhaven, 
while  the  Bear  and  Thetis  remained,  the  former  to  coal  and  the 
latter  to  shift  her  broken  rudder.  At  Godhaven  the  Alert  re- 
paired aome  of  her  broken  machinery,  and  buried  one  of  the  Es- 
quimaux who  had  accompanied  Greely.  The  vessels  started  south 
together  on  the  10th  of  July,  but  on  the  15th,  when  off  the  coast 
of  Newfoundland,  the  steel  barrier  which  bound  the  Alert  and 
Loch  Garry  together,  parted  three  times  in  a  gale,  and  the 
former  had  to  finally  be  cast  adrift. 

July  17th  the  Bear  and  Thetis  dropped  anchor  off  St.  John's 
at  9,  A.  M.,  and  Commander  Schley  immediately  telegraphed 
Secretary  Chandler  the  results  of  his  successful  search  as  here 
given,  and  also  the  following  further  particulars  of  his  voyage  : 

"The  channel  between  Cape  Sabine  and  Littleton  Island  did 
not  close,  on  account  of  violent  gales,  all  winter,  so  that  240 
rations  at  the  latter  point  could  not  be  reached.  All  of  Greely's 
records  and  all  the  instruments  brought  by  him  from  Fort  Con- 
ger are  recovered  and  are  on  board.  From  Hare  Island  to 
Smith's  Sound  I  had  a  constant  and  furious  struggle  with  ice  in 
impassable  floes.  The  solid  barriers  were  overcome  by  watch- 
fulness and  patience.  No  opportunity  to  advance  a  mile  escaped 
me,  and  for  several  hundred  miles  the  ships  were  forced  to  ram 
their  way  from  lead  to  lead,  through  ice  varying  in  thickness 
from  three  to  six  feet,  and  when  rafted,  much  greater. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  623 

"  The  Thetis  and  the  Bear  reached  Cape  York  June  18th,  after 
a  passage  of  twenty-one  days  in  Melville  Bay,  with  two  advance 
ships  of  a  Dundee  whaling  fleet,  and  continued  to  Cape  Sabinc. 
Returning  seven  days  later,  we  fell  in  with  seven  others  of  this 
fleet  off  Wostenholme  Island,  and  announced  Greely's  rescue  to 
them,  that  they  might  not  be  delayed  from  their  fishing  grounds 
nor  be  tempted  into  the  dangerous  Smith's  Sound  in  view  of  the 
reward  of  $25,000  offered  by  Congress.  Returning  across  Mel- 
ville Bay  we  fell  in  with  the  Alert  and  Loch  Garry  off  Devil's 
Thumb,  struggling  through  the  ice.  Commander  Coffin  did  ad- 
mirably to  get  along  so  far  with  the  transport  so  early  in  the 
season  before  the  opening  had  occurred.  Lieut.  Emory,  with  the 
Bear,  has  supported  me  throughout  with  great  skillfulness  and 
unflinching  readiness  in  accomplishing  the  great  duty  of  relieving 
Lieut.  Greely.  The  Greely  party  are  very  much  improved  since 
the  rescue,  but  were  critical  in  the  extreme  wlien  found  and  for 
several  days  after.  Forty-eight  hours'  delay  in  reaching  them 
would  have  been  fatal  to  all  now  living.  The  season  north  is 
late  and  the  coolest  for  years.  Smith's  Sound  was  not  open 
when  I  left  Cape  Sabine.  The  winter  about  Melville  Bay  was 
the  most  severe  for  twenty  years.  This  great  result  is  entirely 
due  to  the  unwearied  energy  of  yourself  and  the  Secretary  of 
War  in  fitting  out  this  expedition  for  the  work  it  has  the  honor 
of  accomplishing. 

'*  W.  S.  SCHLEY,  Commander.' 

TERRIBLE    SUFFERING. 

ON  the  17th  of  July  Lieutenant  Greely  sent  another  dispatch 
to  Gen.  Hazen,  in  which  he  says  :  *'  Learning  by  scouting  parties 
of  the  Proteus  disaster,  and  that  no  provisions  had  been  left  for 
us  from  Cape  Isabella  to  Sabine,  moved  and  established  winter 
quarters  at  Camp  Clay,  half-way  between  Sabine  and  Cocked 
Hat.  An  inventory  showed  that  by  daily  ration  of  four-and-a 
half  ounces  of  meat,  seven  ounces  of  bread  and  dog  biscuits 
and  four  ounces  miscellaneous,  the  party  would  have  ten  day^' 
full  rations  left  for  crossing  Smith  Sound  to  Littleton  Island. 
Unfortunately,  Smith  Sound  remained  open  the  entire  wintert 


624  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

rendering  crossing  impracticable.  Game  failed,  despite  daily 
hunting  from  early  February.  Before  the  sun  returned  onlytive 
hundred  pounds  of  meat  had  been  obtained.  This  year  minute 
shrimps,  sea-weed,  sassafras,  rock  lichens,  and  seal-skins  were 
resorted  to  for  food,  with  results  as  shown  by  the  number  of 
survivors.  The  last  regular  food  was  issued  May  14.  Only  150 
pounds  of  meat  left  by  Garlington  compelled  me  to  send  in  No- 
vember four  men  to  obtain  144  pounds  of  meat  at  Isabella. 
During  the  trip  Elison  froze  solid  both  hands  and  feet,  and  lost 
them  all,  surviving,  however,  through  our  terrible  winter  and 
spring  until  July  8.  The  survivors  owe  their  lives  to  the  indom- 
itable energy  of  Capt.  Schley  and  Lieut.  Emory,  who,  preceded 
by  three  and  accompanied  by  five  whalers,  forced  their  vessels 
from  Upernavik  through  Melville  Bay  into  North  Water  at  Cape 
York,  with  the  foremost  whaler.  They  gained  a  yard  whenever 
possible,  and  always  held  it.  Smith  Sound  was  crossed  and  the 
party  rescued  during  one  of  the  most  violent  gales  I  have  ever 
known.  Boats  were  handled  only  at  imminent  risk  of  swamping. 
Four  of  us  were  then  unable  to  walk,  and  could  not  have  sur- 
vived exceeding  twenty-four  hours.  Every  care  was  given  us. 
I  saved  and  bring  back  copies  of  meteorological,  tidal,  astronom- 
ical, magnetic,  pendulum,  and  other  observations  ;  also  pendu- 
lum, Yale,  and  standard  thermometers  ;  forty-eight  photographic 
negatives,  a  collection  of  blanks  and  photographic  proofs.  Es- 
quimaux relics  and  other  things  were  necessarily  abandoned.  The 
Thetis  remains  here  five  days  probably. 
(Signed)  "  GREELY,  Commanding." 

The  following  dispatch  was  sent  in  reply  to  the  above  : 

SIGNAL  SERVICE,  July  17. 
Lieut.  A.  W.  Greely,  St.  Johns: 

Our  hearts  are  overflowing  with  gladness  and  thanks  to  God 
for  your  safety,  and  in  sadness  for  those  who  without  fault  of 
yours  are  dead.  Your  family  are  well  and  in  San  Diego.  Your 
dispatches  are  most  satisfactory,  and  show  your  expedition  to 
ii:ive  been  in  the  highest  degree  successful  in  every  particular. 
This  fact  is  not  effected  by  the  disaster  later. 

W.  B.  HAZEN. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  625 

HOW  THE  BODIES  WERE  PREPARED. 

WHEN  the  dead  bodies  were  brought  on  board  the  Thetis,  they 
were  all,  at  first,  laid  out  in  the  forecastle,  and  a  screen  was 
placed  in  front  of  them,  to  prevent  a  close  examination  being 
made  by  the  sailors.  They  were  left  in  this  position  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  when  half  of  them  were  transferred  to  the  Bear 
after  dark.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  the  disagreeable  task 
of  packing  away  the  bodies  would  have  been  considered  unfit  for 
officers  and  left  to  the  seamen,  but  on  this  occasion,  in  order 
to  obtain  greater  secrecy,  commissioned  officers  were  specially 
detailed  for  this  duty.  On  the  Thetis  they  were  Surgeon  Green, 
Ensign  Harlow,  and  Chief  Engineer  Melville,  and  on  the  Bear, 
Dr.  Ames  and  Lieut.  Cross.  They  cut  off  all  the  clothing  and 
sewed  the  corpses  up  in  sheets.  Then  the  limbs  and  bodies  were 
tightly  enveloped  in  muslin  bandages,  which  were  also  sewn  up, 
and  the  heads  and  faces  were  all  concealed  in  like  manner.  The 
only  article  of  clothing  which  was  not  removed  was  a  woollen 
skull-cap  worn  by  each.  They  left  that  on  because  they  were 
afraid  to  remove  it.  After  being  thus  prepared,  the  bodies  were 
placed  in  iron  tanks  and  covered  with  alcohol.  The  bodies  were 
removed  from  the  tanks  and  placed  in  the  iron  caskets  by  officers 
also,  and  no  others  saw  them.  Thus  prepared,  they  were  brought 
to  St.  Johns,  and  there  Capt.  Schley  ordered  iron  caskets  to  be 
made  for  their  reception.  He  therefore  sent  the  following  tele- 
gram : 

"  ST.  JOHNS,  July  18. — To  Hon.  Wni.  Chandler,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy :  Iron  caskets  for  the  dead  will  be  delivered  July  25. 
As  soon  as  remains  are  transferred  to  them  I  will  sail  for  New 
York,  advising  you  when  ready.  A  week's  rest  for  officers  and 
men,  after  the  incessant  labor  and  perils  of  the  past  sixty  days, 
is  most  grateful  to  them.  Your  telegram  and  that  of  the  Acting 
Secretary,  Admiral  Nichols,  gave  us  great  satisfaction.  Please 
accept  our  thanks  for  them.  In  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
dead  on  board,  flags  of  the  ships  will  fly  at  malf-mast  during  my 
stay. 

(Signed)       "  W.  S.  SCHLEY,  Commander." 
40 


626  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  news  of  the  rescue  was  cabled  to  England  on  the  day  the 
squadron  put  into  St.  Johns,  and  produced  a  very  great  sensation 
among  all  classes  of  people.  A  meeting  of  the  London  Balloon 
Society  was  called  on  the  same  evening  to  take  action  upon  Capt. 
Schley's  brave  work,  and  reported  the  following  resolutions: 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  work  of  the 
relief  of  Lieut.  Greely  and  the  survivors  of  his  noble  party  a 
boon  has  been  conferred  on  mankind. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  society  congratulates  Lieut.  Greely  and 
his  noble  comrades  upon  their  magnificent  achievement  in  the 
Arctic  seas,  in  having  proceeded  further  north  than  all  other 
Arctic  explorers. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  society  hereby  order  a  gold  medal  com- 
memorating this  event  specially  struck,  and  presented  to  Lieut. 
Greely. 

"  Resolved,  That  Lieut.  Greely  be  hereby  elected  a  life  mem- 
ber of  this  society." 

The  resolutions  were  seconded  and  carried  unanimously,  amid 
the  greatest  furore  ever  witnessed  in  any  of  the  meetings  of  the 
Balloon  Society. 

Immediately  after  the  above  action  Capt.  Pfounds  proposed 
and  Sir  William  Wheelhouse  seconded  the  following  resolution  : 

"Resolved,  That  this  society  cable  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States  the  following  message  :  '  To  Chester  A.  Arthur, 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America,  Washington,  D.  C. : 
The  Balloon  Society  of  Great  Britain  tenders  through  you  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States  and  to  Lieut.  Greely  and  the  other 
gallant  American  citizens  who  participated  in  this  noble  task,  its 
congratulations  upon  the  accomplishment  of  the  work  of  reach- 
Mig  an  unequaled  Northern  latitude.' ' 

Following  this  action  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  called  a 
meeting  on  the  19th,  and  adopted  similar  congratulatory  and 
laudatory  resolutions. 

MEETING   BETWEEN    GREELY   AND    HIS    WIFE. 

ON  August  1st  the  Greely  relief  squadron  reached  Portsmouth 
Jlai-bor,  bearing  the  dead  and  survivors  of  the  expedition,  and 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  627 

was  met  by  the  North  Atlantic  squadron  of  United  States  men-of- 
war,  with  Secretary  Chandler  on  board  the  flag-ship  Tennessee. 
What  a  scene,  as  the  noble  weather-beaten  ships,  moving  as  if 
instinct  with  life,  and  bearing  home  the  six  living  and  the  twelve 
dead  heroes,  steamed  slowly  around  old  Fort  Constitution  and 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor.  The  grim  men-of-war,  drawn  up 
to  greet  them,  displayed  all  their  bunting ;  their  decks  were  alive 
with  officers  in  gold  lace ;  their  yards  were  manned  by  gallant 
tars  who  cheered  right  lustily,  and  their  guns  roared  deep-mouthed 
welcome,  while  the  strains  of  the  familiar  old  melody,  "Home 
Again,"  played  by  the  band  of  the  Tennessee,  brought  tears  to 
many  eyes.  And  then  Trhat  greetings,  what  embraces,  what 
fervent  "  God  bless  yous,"  and  what  deep,  undemonstrative  joy  ! 
Secretary  Chandler  gathered  the  commanding  officers  of  the 
relief  squadron  around  him  in  the  cabin  of  the  flag-ship,  while 
Commander  Schley  arranged  for  the  long-looked-for  mectjns: 
of  Lieutenant  Greely  and  his  wife.  It  was  a  dramatic  scene  of 
pathos  and  joy.  Mrs.  Greely  had  but  just  arrived  in  Portsmouth, 
and  had  been  at  once  taken  on  board  the  Thetis,  where  her  hus- 
band was.  Lieutenant  Greely  had  not  been  informed  that  his 
wife  was  about  to  come  on  board,  and  a  few  moments  before  her 
arrival,  in  conversation  with  Commander  Schley,  the  hero  said 
he  did  not  expect  to  see  her,  as  she  probably  had  not  been  able 
to  reach  there  so  soon.  When  the  Secretary's  barge  was  seen  to 
leave  the  Tennessee,  with  Mrs.  Greely  and  her  two  brothers, 
Messrs.  G.  O.  and  C.  A.  Nesmith,  sitting  in  the  stern  sheets, 
Commander  Schley  said  to  Lieutenant  Greely:  "Lieutenant,  I 
would  like  to  see  you  in  my  own  cabin  for  a  few  moments." 
This  was  to  engage  Lieutenant  Greely's  attention  until  a  peculiar 
signal  given  on  the  boatswain's  whistle  indicated  that  Mrs. 
Greely  was  on  board.  With  trembling  steps  she  descended  to 
the  cabin  door,  and  just  at  the  instant  she  entered  Commander 
Schley  left  the  room,  leaving  the  long-separated  couple  alone. 
Lieutenant  Greely  was  sitting  with  his  back  to  the  door,  but  when 
Commander  Schley  so  abruptly  left  him,  he  turned,  and  at  the 
same  instant  saw  his  wife  enter.  There  was  one  wild  exclamation 


(528  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

of  joy,  smothered  by  a  frantic  embrace,  and  what  followed  none 
know  but  those  two.  Later  in  the  afternoon  the  mother  of  Lieut. 
Greely  arrived  from  Newburyport,  and  there  was  another  affecting 
meeting.  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Greely  and  the  latter's  brothers  were 
seated  in  Commander  Schley's  cabin,  alternately  crying,  laughing 
and  embracing.  Old  Mrs.  Greely  suddenly  entered  and  threw 
her  arms  around  her  son's  neck,  saying  only,  "My  son!  my 
son!"  Lieutenant  Greely  spoke  no  word  save  "Mother!" 
Fearing  the  excitement  would  be  too  much  for  his  shattered 
constitution,  Commander  Schley  entered  the  cabin  and  directed 
the  conversation  into  less  emotional  channels. 

The  great  land  demonstration  in  honor  of  the  return  of  the 
survivors  took  place  in  Portsmouth  on  Monday,  the  4th.  Com- 
mander Schley,  Lieut.  Emory,  and  Commander  Coffin,  with  the 
crews  of  the  Thetis,  the  Bear  and  the  Alert,  a  body  of  naval 
cadets  and  apprentices,  a  battalion  of  marines,  and  the  naval 
brigade  of  the  North  Atlantic  squadron,  formed  a  superb  pro- 
cession, which  was  reviewed  by  the  survivors  from  the  balcony 
of  the  Rockingham  House.  As  the  crews  of  the  relief  squadron 
passed,  Lieut.  Greely  bowed  very  low  and  seemed  to  look  his 
gratitude  to  the  men  who  had  so  recently  rescued  him  from  an 
arctic  grave.  The  scene  was  affecting,  and  much  emotion  seemed 
to  pervade  the  entire  throng.  In  a  carriage  following  those  of 
the  officers  of  the  relief  squadron,  rode  Secretary  Chandler, 
General  Hazeii,  Commodore  Wells,  and  Acting  Admiral  Luce. 
These  gentlemen  received  a  tribute  of  applause.  The  marching 
of  the  long  procession  was  very  tine,  and  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
battalion  of  marines  from  the  squadron  were  brilliant. 

In  the  evening  an  enthusiastic  meeting  of  the  citizens,  at  which 
a  large  number  of  distinguished  persons  were  present,  was  held 
at  the  Music  Hall.  The  official  welcome  of  the  city  of  Ports- 
mouth was  extended  to  the  surviving  members  of  the  Lady 
Franklin  Bay  expedition,  who  were  not,  however,  allowed  by 
their  physicians  to  attend  the  gathering.  Secretary  Chandler 
reviewed  the  history  of  the  expedition  and  the  rescue,  and  paid 
a  glowing  and  well-deserved  tribute  to  the  noble  work  of 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  62!) 

Commanders  Schley  and  Coffin  and  Lieutenant  Emory.  A 
letter  of  grateful  and  heartfelt  acknowledgment  from  Lieutenant 
Greely  was  read,  and  other  speeches  were  made  by  Mr.  S.  J. 
Randall,  Senator  Hale,  Commanders  Sehley  and  Coffin,  Lieut. 
Emory  and  General  Butler. 

The  Thetis,  the  Bear,  and  the  Alert  arrived  in  New  York  on 
the  7th,  bearing  the  bodies  brought  from  Cape  Sabine  to  be  re- 
claimed by  the  relatives  and  friends.  On  the  following  day  they 
were  transferred  with  imposing  ceremonies  from  the  Thetis  and 
Bear  to  the  barge  Chester  A.  Arthur,  and  thence  conveyed  to 
Governor's  Island. 

UNPLEASANT    FACTS. 

THE  bodies  were  saluted  by  the  Government  troops  and  then  sent 
to  their  friends  in  the  several  places  of  their  residences  for  burial. 
Up  to  this. time  there  were  no  suspicions  of  any  disloyal  act  hav- 
ing been  committed  by  any  member  of  the  expedition,  nor  had 
the  breath  of  rumor  circulated  any  story  save  that  of  heroism 
and  endurance.  But  ere  many  days  had  elapsed  after  the  fu- 
neral ceremonies  were  completed,  some  member  of  the  relief 
squadron  intimated  that  Private  Henry  had  not  died  of  starva- 
tion, as  first  reported,  but  that  he  had  been  officially  executed. 
This  was  at  first  denied,  but  afterward  admitted  in  a  report  made 
by  Lieut.  Greely,  already  quoted.  This  news  produced  consid- 
erable excitement,  though  no  one  spoke  condemnatory  of  Greely 
beyond  expressing  an  opinion  that  he  should  have  stated  the  facts 
at  once  in  his  general  report  to  Secretary  Chandler.  But  the 
little  surprise  thus  created  was  quickly  overshadowed  by  a  rumor 
that  the  Greely  party  had  been  guilty  of  cannibalism.  This  cre- 
ated a  profound  sensation,  notwithstanding  an  emphatic  denial 
made  by  Lieutenant  Greely  himself.  It  was  then  remembered 
that  he  had  opposed  any  removal  of  the  dead  bodies  from  their 
original  burial  places,  by  saying:  "Often  in  talking  over  what 
seemed  to  be  inevitably  our  fate,  the  men  all  expressed  the  wish 
to  be  buried  on  the  verge  of  the  great  Polar  Sea,  by  whose 
shores  they  had  met  their  death.  Out  of  deference  to  the  solemn 
wishes  of  the  dead  I  spoke  against  disinterring  the  bodies,  and 


630  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

for  no  other  reason.  Had  I  died  I  should  have  wished  a  grave 
in  the  North." 

He  said  again  :  "Why  did  we  not  allow  poor  Elison  to  die,  if 
we  were  so  far  past  the  line  between  humans  and  savages?  Why 
did  we  share  our  food  with  him  to  the  last?"  These  were  manly 
words,  and  were,  no  doubt,  sincere,  for  cannibalism  may  have 
been  practiced  without  his  knowledge  ;  but,  still  the  report  grew 
apace,  until  it  was  definitely  stated  that  Lieutenant  Kislingbury's 
body  had  been  partially  devoured  after  his  death.  So  specific 
were  these  statements,  that  the  three  brothers  of  the  deceased, 
John  F.,  Frank  W.  and  William  H.  Kislingbury,  decided  to  have 
the  body  exhumed  from  its  resting  place  in  Mount  Hope  Ceme- 
tery, Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  an  investigation  made.  Doctors 
Charles  Buckley  and  Frederick  A.  Mandeville  were  engaged  to 
make  the  examination.  Accordingly  the  body  was  exposed  on 
August  13th,  and  after  performing  the  duties  for  which  they 
were  engaged,  the  two  doctors  made  a  sworn  statement  declar- 
ing that  the  flesh  had  been  stripped  from  the  limbs  and  the  larger 
part  of  the  body,  reducing  it  almost  to  a  skeleton  of  bare  bones, 
weighing  only  about  fifty  pounds. 

This  statement  set  at  rest  all  doubts  of  the  dreadful  resorts  to 
which  at  least  some  of  Greely's  men  had  been  driven,  and  reports 
began  to  increase  until  several  other  bodies  were  exhumed,  some 
of  which  bore  unmistakable  marks  of  the  knife,  while  others  did 
not.  There  is  also  the  best  of  evidence  that  the  body  of  Private 
Henry  was  eaten,  for  his  headless  remains  were  found  a  mile 
from  Greely's  camp,  and  some  of  his  bones  were  bare  and  scat- 
tered, but  no  official  investigation  was  held  to  determine  the  full 
extent  to  which  cannibalism  was  carried.  Quite  enough  became 
known,  however,  through  investigation,  to  shock  the  moral  sense 
of  those  who  cannot  be  brought  to  a  proper  consideration  of  what 
starvation  might  force  men  to  do. 

WHAT   MIGHT   HAVE    BEEN. 

IN  the  light  of  subsequent  events  we  feel  justified  in  saying 
that  had  the  relief  expedition  succeeded  in  reaching  Fort  Conger, 
or  in  making  caches  of  supplies  where  they  could  be  found  along 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  fiSl 

the  line  of  retreat,  the  whole  party  might  have  returned  alive, 
with  the  story  of  the  most  successful  Arctic  expedition  that  ever 
spent  three  winters  in  the  "  Land  of  Desolation."  The  arrange- 
ments for  the  comfort  and  security  of  the  men  left  nothing  to  be 
desired,  and  Lieutenant  Greely's  management  was  in  the  highest 
degree  judicious.  There  was  no  sickness  in  the  party.  The  men 
were  kept  in  good  health  and  spirits  by  active  employment,  and 
such  amusements  as  were  possible  under  the"  circumstances. 
Lieutenant  Greely  and  Dr.  Pavy  occasionally  gave  the  men  lec- 
tures on  various  subjects,  and  each  man  was  allowed  to  celebrate 
his  birthday  by  choosing  the  dinner,  of  which  all  partook.  No 
jealousies  or  dissensions  marred  the  harmony  of  the  little  band. 
The  discipline  was  of  necessity  rigid,  but  kind.  A  sense  of  fra- 
ternity and  common  dependence  ruled  the  spirits  of  all.  Even 
the  failure  to  receive  supplies  and  news  from  home  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  made  the  men  despondent.  It  is  impossible  to  read 
of  their  quiet  heroism,  their  manly  self-control,  without  admira- 
tion for  the  noble  qualities  they  displayed,  and  profound  sorrow 
that  so  few  of  them  have  survived  to  share  in  the  plaudits  of  the 
world. 

The  unstabled  character  of  Henry  is  the  only  blot  that  stains 
the  brilliant  crew  that  sailed  with  Greely,  which,  however,  is 
almost  wiped  out  by  the  marvelously  heroic  Elison,  who  offered 
his  own  life  freely  that  his  comrades  might  live.  But  they  were 
all  heroes,  save  the  one  weak  brother,  and  their  bright  example 
is  a  wealth  of  glory  for  all  America.  Disaster  and  death  did  not 
rob  them  of  the  grand  success  which  they  attained,  nor  does  any 
fact  connected  with  their  desolate  camp  in  the  frozen  region  of 
Sabine  diminish  the  glorious  honors  which  they  earned.  The 
Greely  Expedition  must  stand  as  the  most  successful  ever  made 
to  the  Arctic  regions  up  to  the  year  1884. 


632  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


WONDERS  OF  THE  ARCTIC  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

MYSTERY,    FABLE   AND   MARVELLOUS   FACTS. 

THE  wonders  of  Nature  are  distributed  throughout  all  space, 
except  that  there  is  no  space,  for  all  conceivable  distances  in  the 
apparent  void  are  inhabited  by  atoms  of  life ;  airy  motes,  yet 
living,  and  performing  the  duties  of  their  several  spheres  accord- 
ing to  creation's  law.  So,  in  the  hyperborean  regions  of  per- 
petual ice,  where  freezing  cold  repels  every  effort  at  exploration, 
there,  also,  animal  life  teems,  though  with  less  diversification 
than  in  tropical  climates. 

The  mystery  which  surrounds  the  impenetrable  region  of  the 
North  Pole  is  embalmed  in  numerous  stories  and  wild  theories, 
ill  which  goblins,  ghouls,  and  ice-sprites  figure  conspicuously. 
There  sits  a  siren,  wrapped  in  a  mantle  of  snow,  decorated  with 
glittering  icicles  and  her  hair  sparkling  with  frost  spangles, 
crooning  a  lay  which  the  north  wind  sings  so  monotonously  in 
winter.  Her  voice  is  husky,  but  her  eyes  are  bright  as  Venus 
shining  over  a  waste  of  sleet  on  a  cold,  clear  night.  The  light 
of  her  eye  attracts  explorers,  who  follow  as  it  recedes,  until 
drawn  within  the  magnetic  circle  of  her  power,  she  sends  a  shiver 
of  death  through  them,  and  they  become  spirits  of  her  frost 
realm.  There  is  also  a  phantom  ship,  manned  by  a  phantom 
crew.  Her  rigging  hangs  thick  with  jagged  ice,  and  the  shrouds 
are  clothed  with  snow.  The  silent  men  are  muffled  in  overcoats 
white  with  frost,  while  their  hair  and  beards  are  hoary,  but  not 
with  age.  This  phantom  vessel  appears  in  the  offing  to  Arctic 
travelers,  and  is  the  sure  precursor  to  fatal  calamity.  These  and 
other  wild  stories  are  told  of  the  mysterious  North  to  deter  ad- 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  633 

venturers  from  seeking  to  penetrate  the  forbidden  iields  of  nature. 

Of  the  theories  respecting  the  North  Pole  the  most  singularly 
interesting  is  that  advanced  by  John  Cleves  Symmes,  an  Ameri- 
can, who,  in  a  wonderfully  plausible  manner,  argued  that  the 
earth  is  hollow,  open  at  the  poles,  and  cq^oleof  being  inhabited 
within.  He  both  lectured  and  wrote  extensively  on  this  theorv, 
but  though  his  arguments  were  well  conceived,  and  not  without 
a  measure  of  consistency,  yet  some  of  his  claims  appeared  so 
absurd  that  he  made  few  converts.  His  theory  of  concentric 
spheres,  however,  was  pretty  well  received  by  many  scientists, 
which  had  the  effect  of  preserving  his  name  among  the  list  of 
noted  men. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  readers  of  the  Greely  Expedition, 
that  Lockvvood  and  Brainerd,  upon  reaching  the  greatest  altitude 
ever  attained  by  man,  found  a  current  setting  in  so  string  to- 
ward the  north  that  they  were  compelled  to  turn  back,  to  avoid 
being  caught  in  the  drift  and  carried  irresistibly  away  into  the 
unknown,  although  their  nearest  approach  to  the  North  Pole  was 
four  hundred  miles.  This  is  an  important  fact,  explainable  only 
upon  two  hypotheses,  viz  :  that  there  is  a  current  which  sweeps 
constantly  toward  and  around  the  pole,  where  a  warmer  climate 
exists  ;  or  that  a  fissure  or  verge  in  the  earth  attracts  the  waters  to 
that  spot,  as  Symmes  maintained.  The  former,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, is  altogether  the  more  reasonable,  and  must,  therefore, 
be  popularly  accepted.  There  is  another  almost  equally  important 
fact,  however,  which  tends  materially  to  confuse  all  theories 
respecting  the  North  Pole,  except  that  of  Symmes,  which  is,  that, 
after  reaching  80°  North,  there  is  a  gradual  increase  of  tempera- 
ture and  a  corresponding  increase  of  animal  life.  Symmes'  theory 
is  that  this  warmth  is  the  result  of  the  electrical  force  of  the  inner 
earth  expending  its  effect  on  the  atmosphere  adjacent  to  the  pole. 
This  theory,  though,  is  combatted  by  the  discovery  that  the  cold 
toward  the  North  Pole  is  not  nearly  so  intense  as  that  which  sur- 
rounds the  South  Pole,  and  the  yet  further  and  still  more  import- 
ant fact,  that  the  lowest  temperature  is  not  found  at  either  pole, 
but  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yakoutsk,  Siberia.  We  are  there- 


634  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

fore  lost  in  an  inextricable  confusion  of  conflicting  facts,  which 
must  be  left  to  future  discoveries,  or  forever  remain  an  unan- 
swered problem,  a  mystery  of  mysterious  nature. 

Scientists,  whose  most  ambitious  flights  of  speculation  can 
hardly  go  back  ot  the  withered  age  of  time,  assert,  by  a  process 
of  analogous  reasoning,  that  climatic  change  is  due  to  glacial 
formation  ;  that  the  earth  shifts  about  on  its  axis  to  maintain  its 
equilibrium,  which  is  destroyed  through  a  gradual  process  of  ice 
formations  at  its  poles.  As  a  result  of  this  shifting  movement, 
one  portion  of  the  earth  is  submerged  as  the  other  rises,  the 
change  being  so  gradual,  however,  as  to  be  perceptible  only  after 
ages  of  observation  and  comparison.  There  are  evidences  that 
at  one  time  nearly  all  of  North  America  was  under  water,  at 
which  period  South  America  must  have  been  of  much  greater 
extent  than  it  is  now,  and  must  also  have  had  a  very  different 
temperature.  Then,  as  North  America  gradually  rose,  by  reason 
of  heavy  glaciers  collecting  at  the  South  Pole,  South  America 
was  slowly  being  submerged,  thus  reversing  their  climates  and 
undergoing  the  most  radical  changes,  which  are  partially  ex- 
plained by  geologic  and  fossiliferous  formations  and  remains 
found  on  mountain  tops  and  in  deep  valleys.  The  remarkable 
ruins  of  temples  found  in  Greenland  indicate  most  conclusively 
that  that  country  must  have  had  a  comparatively  mild  climate  at 
one  time,  favorable  to  agriculture  and  a  high  state  of  civilization, 
while  now  it  is  a  desolate  waste  from  the  intense  cold  which  pre- 
vails. Further  proofs  of  a  reversal  of  climate,  from  warm  to 
cold,  in  the  Arctic  region,  seems  to  be  found  in  the  extinct  animal 
life  of  Northern  Siberia,  unless  it  can  be  accounted  for  on  the 
Syrnmes'  theory.  This  is  now  the  coldest  district  of  the  earth, 
but  along  the  rigorous  coast  are  numerous  remains  of  the  mam- 
moth,  elephant,  rhinoceros,  and  other  equatorial  beasts.  The 
change  of  temperature  seems  to  have  been  so  sudden  that  they 
were  overwhelmed  before  being  able  to  retreat  to  a  warmer  cli- 
mate, unless  their  remains  were  drifted  there  by  currents  in  the 
Arctic  Ocean  from  a  warm  country  near  the  pole,  as  claimed  by 
Capt.  Symmes  and  his  supporters.  The  mammoth  may  possibly 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  635 

have  existed  in  a  cold  region,  for  it  was  clothed  with  a  heavy 
coat  of  long  hair,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  being  an  herbaceous 
animal,  or,  certainly  a  vegetable  feeder,  it  could  hardly  have  sus- 
tained life  in  a  cold  region,  no  more  than  the  elephant  and  rhi- 
noceros, which  we  know  do  not  exist  beyond  the  tropics.  These 
wonder*  only  increase  the  appetite  for  exploration,  since  in  them 
we  discover  what  very  pigmies  we  are  in  knowledge,  and  how 
little  are  the  wonders  of  nature  comprehended  in  our  short  grasp 
of  intellect. 

HISTORY    OF   THE    SYMMES    THEORY   OF    THE    EARTH  ;    OR,  A   WORLD 
WITHIN    A   WORLD. 

OWING  to  the  interest  in  this  subject,  revived  by  the  recent 
discoveries  of  the  Greely  expedition,  we  present  here  a  history 
of  the  Sy mines  theory. 

Capt.  John  Cleves  Symmes,  author  of  the  startling  theory  of 
concentric  spheres,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  about  1780,  and  died 
at  Hamilton,  Ohio,  in  1829.  He  received  a  good  common  Eng- 
lish education,  which  he  afterward  greatly  improved  by  reading 
books  of  travels  and  explorations.  In  1802  he  entered  the  United 
States  Army  as  ensign,  and  served  until  after  the.  close  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain  in  1812,  being  promoted  in  the  meanwhile, 
for  gallantry  and  good  conduct,  to  the  office  of  captain.  Some 
time  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  resigned  his  commission  and 
retired  to  private  life,  devoting  most  of  his  time  until  his  death 
to  the  study  of  his  pet  theory.  According  to  this  theory  the 
earth  is  globular,  hollow,  and  open  at  the  poles.  Tne  diameter 
of  the  northern  opening  is  about  two  thousand  miles,  or  four 
thousand  miles  from  outside  to  outsjlde.  The  south  opening  is 
somewhat  larger.  The  planes  of  these  openings  are  parallel  to 
each  other,  but  form  an  angle  of  12°  with  the  equator,  so  that 
the  highest  part  of  the  north  plane  is  directly  opposite  the  lowest 
part  of  the  south  plane.  The  shell  of  the  earth  is  about  one 
thousand  miles  thick,  and  the  edges  of  the  shell  at  the  openings 
are  called  verges,  and  measure,  from  the  regular  concavity  within 
to  the  regular  convexity  without,  about  fifteen  hundred  miles. 
The  explorers  who  furnish  facts  for  the  support  of  this  theory 


63(5  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

seem,  none  of  them,  to  have  had  the  remotest  conjecture  of  it. 
The  faets  are  admitted,  and  it  cannot  be  urged  against  its  author 
that  he  has  marshalled  in  its  support  fictitious  premises.  His 
arguments,  drawn  from  the  facts,  may  be  erroneous.  Yet  it  is 
true  that  many  of  them  which  have  not  as  yet  been  otherwise 
satisfactorily  explained  are  easily  accounted  for  upon  his  theory. 
Modern  explorers  have  added  much  to  our  knowledge  of  the 
Arctic  regions  which  corroborates  the  arguments  of  Captain 
Symmes.  The  most  of  them  have  found  an  open  sea.  They 
tell  of  immense  flocks  of  birds  and  migrating  animals  going 
north  in  winter.  They  speak  of  warm  currents  of  air  and  water 
coming  from  the  north. 

Spitzbergen,  on  the  south  side  of  the  verge,  is  a  bleak,  barren 
country,  while,  to  the  northward,  plants,  flowers,  and  trees  are 
found.  This  island  is  upon  or  partly  within  the  verge,  and  the 
north  part  would  lie  within  and  be  warmer  than  the  southern 
portion  of  the  island. 

Driftwood  is  found  in  great  quantities  upon  the  northern  coasts 
of  Iceland,  Norway,  Spitzbergen,  and  the  Arctic  borders  of  Si- 
beria, having  every  appearance  of  a  tropical  production.  Trees 
of  large  dimensions  and  of  different  kinds  are  found,  some  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation.  Vegetables  of  singular  character, 
and  flowers  of  peculiar  fragrance  and  color,  unknown  to  botan- 
ists, are  sometimes  found  in  this  drift.  These  could  not  be  the 
production  of  the  cold  Arctic  regions,  nor  is  it  probable  they 
were  drifted  thither  by  the  Gulf  Stream  or  by  submarine  cur- 
rents, for  their  specific  gravity  would  make  this  impossible. 
Besides,  they  are  not  found  along  the  southern  coasts  of  these 
localities,  as  they  would  be  if  borne  north  by  the  Gulf  Stream 
along  through  the  Atlantic. 

Eminent  modern  scientists,  Darwin  among  others,  declare  that 
the  climate  of  the  Polar  regions,  as  far  as  explored,  is  the  same 
now  that  it  always  has  been,  yet  the  farther  north  we  penetrate 
in  greater  abundance  are  found  vestiges  of  elephants,  tortoises, 
crocodiles,  and  other  beasts  and  reptiles  of  a  tropical  climate. 
These  are  found  in  greatest  abundance  along  the  banks  of  rivers 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


637 


flowing  from  the  north,  seeming  to  prove  that  there  is,  some- 
where beyond  the  frozen  belt  not  yet  penetrated  by  man,  a  warm 
country,  with  climate  and  productions  similar  to  those  of  the 
tropics.  Along  the  borders  of  Siberia  the  remains  of  tropical 
animals  are  so  commonly  found  as  to  constitute  a  considerable 
source  of  commerce.  In  Asiatic  Russia  there  is  not  a  single 
stream  or  river  on  the  banks  or  in  the  bed  of  which  are  not  found 
bones  of  elephants,  or  other  animals  equally  strange  to  that  cli- 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  FROZEN   ELEPHANT. 

mate.  In  1799  a  fisherman  of  Tongoose,  named  Schumachoff, 
discovered  a  tremendous  elephant — perfect  as  when,  a  thousand 
y«ars  before, death  had  arrested  its  breath — encased  in  a  huge  block 
of  ice,  clear  as  crystal.  This  man,  like  his  neighbors,  was  accus- 
tomed, at  the  end  of  the  fishing  season,  to  employ  his  time  in 
hunting  for  elephant  tusks  along  the  banks  of  the  Lena  River, 
for  the  sake  of  the  bounty  offered  by  the  government ;  and  while 
so  employed,  in  the  ardor  of  his  pursuit,  he  passed  several  miles 
beyond  his  companions,  when  suddenly  there  appeared  before  his 


•fi.38  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

wondering  eyes  the  miraculous  sight  above  alluded  to.  But  this 
man  was  ignorant  and  superstitious,  and  instead  of  hastening  to 
announce  his  wonderful  discovery  for  the  benefit  of  science,  he 
stupidly  gazed  upon  it  in  wonder  and  awe,  not  daring  to  approach 
it.  For  five  successive  seasons  from  the  time  when  he  first  dis- 
covered it,  did  Schumachoff  make  stealthy  journeys  to  his  crys- 
tallized monster,  never  finding  courage  sufficient  to  approach  it 
closely,  but  simply  standing  at  a  distance,  once  more  to  feast  his 
eyes  on  the  wonder,  and  to  carry  away  in  his  thick  head  enough 
of  terror  to  guarantee  him  nightmare  for  a  whole  month  of 
nights.  At  last  he  found  the  imprisoned  carcass  stranded  on  a 
convenient  sand-bank,  and  boldly  attacked  it,  broke  the  glitter- 
ing casing,  and  roughly  despoiling  the  greaf  beast  of  its  splendid 
tusks,  hurried  home  and  sold  them  for  fifty  roubles,  leaving  the 
well-preserved  bulk  of  elephant  meat,  a  thousand  years  old,  vet 
juicy  and  without  taint,  to  be  devoured  by  wolves  and  bears,  in- 
hacked  to  bits  by  the  natives  as  food  for  their  dogs. 

The  most  common  objection  to  the  Symmes  theory  is,  that,  if 
it  were  true,  the  sun  could  not  possibly  light  and  warm  the  interior 
of  the  world.  But  the  sun's  rays,  passing  over  the  dense,  cold 
air  of  the  verges,  would  be  refracted  many  degrees,  probably  not 
less  than  ten  or  fifteen,  and  would  thus  produce  abundant  light 
and  heat  throughout  the  whole  interior.  In  fact,  eminent  scien- 
tists declare  that  the  refracted  light  and  heat  of  the  sun's  rays 
would  probably  be  so  intense  that  the  interior  would  be  uninhab- 
itable except  around  the  vicinity  of  the  verges. 

Another  popular  objection  is,  that  the  law  of  gravitation  would 
be  overturned.  How,  says  the  objector,  could  bodies  be  attracted 
alike  to  both  the  outer  and  inner  surfaces  of  the  earth  ?  But  this 
objection  may  be  explained.  All  we  know  of  gravitation  is,  that 
a  body  let  fall  above  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  drawn  toward  the 
centre  ;  but  whether  the  cause  exists  there  or  above  the  surface, 
we  know  not.  It  would  be  difficult  to  prove,  also,  that  bodies  in 
the  interior,  as  well  as  upon  the  exterior,  surface,  when  let  fall, 
would  not  tend  to  the  surface  in  each  case.  The  matter  of  the 
earth,  like  a  great  magnet,  may  attract  to  itself  all  bodies  coming 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  03(1 

within  its  influence,  as  well  upon  the  concave,  as  upon  the  con- 
vex, surface. 

Whether  there  is  any  truth  in  the  Symmes  theory  or  not, 
enough  has  come  to  light  since  its  promulgation  to  prove  that 
its  author  was  correct  in  his  views  of  a  warmer  climate  and  an 
open  sea  near  the  Pole  ;  and  the  mysterious  current,  flowing  to- 
ward the  north,  which  almost  carried  Lieut.  Lockwood  and  Ser- 
geant Brainerd  away  from  the  known  regions  of  the  earth,  at  the 
most  northern  point  ever  reached  by  man,  may  be  the  stream 
that  will  carry  some  future  bold  explorer  into  the  summer  lands 
of  the  earth's  interior.  Who  can  say  that  this  may  not  be  so? 
Time,  the  great  revealer  of  secrets,  will  alone  determine 
whether  this  startling  theory  is  true,  in  whole  or  in  part,  and 
whether  its  author  was  a  visionary  enthusiast,  or  a  profound 
philosopher  whose  name  will  be  honored  among  men,  like  that  of 
Franklin  or  Newton,  as  a  benefactor  of  his  race,  and  an  honor 
to  the  country  which  gave  him  birth. 

ESQUIMAU  DOGS. 

ARCTIC  travel  would  be  impossible  without  Esquimau  dogs, 
Reindeer  may  be  used  as  far  north  as  70°,  possibly  further,  but 
they  cannot  stand  travel  nearly  as  well  as  dogs,  and  are  more 
difficult  to  manage.  The  true  Esquimau  dog  is  neither  domes- 
tic nor  savage,  but  a  hybrid  in  character,  with  little  or  none  of 
the  characteristics  of  our  faithful  animals  so  fond  of  man.  They 
do  not  appreciate  kindness  nor  attempt  any  farniliarties  with 
their  masters,  but  rather  repel  any  effort  made  to  fondle 
them.  The  sledges  used  in  traveling  at  the  far  North,  are  light, 
though  strongly  made,  about  eight  feet  long  by  three  wide,  ca- 
pable of  supporting  a  load  of  a  thousand  pounds.  The  runners 
are  usually  iced  by  pouring  water  oh  them,  which  is  allowed  to 
freeze.  This  is  done  preparatory  to  starting  on  a  journey,  and 
should  this  ice  become  detached  from  any  cause,  or  worn  off  by 
passing  over  stones,  a  stop  is  made  at  once  to  ice  the  runners 
again.  Each  dog  is  expected  to  draw  seventy-five  pounds  of 
weight,  though  in  extreme  cases  they  could  pull  twice  that  amount, 
but  it  is  best  not  to  overload  them.  They  are  hitched  to  the 


640 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


-sledge  by  means  of  a  single  trace  attached  to  a  breast-strap,  but 
instead  of  becoming  entangled  in  running,  a  dozen  dogs  to  a  single 
sledge  will  spread  out  in  fan-shape  and  thus  keep  their  traces 
from  fouling.  The  outside  worker  thinks  his  place  is  harder 
than  any  other,  so,  after  pulling  in  that  position  for  a  time,  as 
he  considers  it  his  duty  to  do,  the  outside  dog  will  slack  up  and 
skillfully  run  under  several  traces  and  reappear  near  the  centre 
of  the  group,  without  having  created  the  least  confusion. 

Every  pack  of  dogs  has  a  boss,  or  king,  usually  the  largest  and 


LIEUT.  SCHWATKA'S  SLEDGE  TRAVELING  OVERLAND. 

fiercest  among  them,  who  takes  upon  himself  the  duty  of  regu- 
lating the  conduct  of  all  his  comrades.  This  ruler  is  never  lazy, 
and  sees  to  it  that,  while  traveling,  none  of  his  subjects  shirk 
their  work.  He  keeps  his  eyes  about  him,  and  whenever  he  dis- 
covers a  dog  slacking  his  trace  too  much,  the  king  jumps  on  him 
and  administers  such  a  sound  thrashing,  that  it  is  rarely  neces- 
sary to  repeat  it.  Around  the  camp,  too,  this  dog-king  exacts 
obedience  and  will  not  permit  an  unnecessary  amount  of  fighting. 
When  there  is  more  than  one  pack  of  dogs  in  camp,  each  keeps 
strictly  to  itself,  for  if  one  dog  ventures  to  visit  another  pack,  he 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  641 

is  at  once  set  upon  and  whipped  or  killed,  unless  his  own  com- 
panions rush  to  his  assistance,  in  which  case  a  dreadful  fight  takes 
place,  that  hardly  terminates  before  many  dos;s  are  fairly  cut  to 

»  •/  ~  * 

pieces,  for  it  is  quite  impossible  to  separate  them  even  though 
clubs  be  used  with  cruel  effect. 

A  pack  of  ten  dogs  will  draw  a  load  of  1,000  pounds  ninety 
miles  a  day  and  show  little  signs  of  fatigue.  Before  starting  on 
a  long  journey,  they  are  kept  without  food  for  three  or  four 
days,  until  they  are  ravenously  hungry  and  extremely  gaunt,  and 
while  traveling  they  are  fed  sparingly  on  frozen  meat  which  is 
bolted  without  chewing.  When  in  flesh  or  his  hunger  is  satisfied, 
the  Esquimau  dog  is  very  lazy  and  becomes  easily  fatigued, 
though  more  sociable.  It  is  astonishing  the  amount  and  char- 
acter of  food  they  will  eat  when  voraciously  hungry.  In  one 
respect  they  are  like  an  ostrich,  being  ready  to  swallow  anything 
that  may  be  thrown  to  them.  Dr.  Kane,  while  fast  bound  in  the 
ice  near  Cape  Grinnell,  makes  the  following  entry  in  his  journal 
respecting  the  voracity  of  his  dogs  : 

"  More  bother  with  these  wretched  dogs  ;  worse  than  a  street 
of  Constantinople  emptied  upon  our  decks  ;  the  unruly,  thieving, 
wild-beast  pack  !  Not  a  bear's  paw,  or  an  Esquimau  cranium,  or 
basket  of  mosses,  or  any  specimen  whatever,  can  leave  your  hands 
fora  moment  without  their  making  a  rush  at  it,  and,  after  a 
yelping  scramble,  swallowing  it  at  a  gulp,  I  have  seen  them  at- 
tempt a  whole  feather-bed  ;  and  here,  this  very  morning,  one  of 
my  Karsuk  brutes  has  eaten  up  two  entire  birds'-nests  which  I 
had  just  before  gathered  from  the  rocks  ;  feather*,  tilth,  pebbles, 
and  moss— a  peckful  at  the  least.  When  we  reach  a  floe,  or 
berg,  or  temporary  harbor,  they  start  out  in  a  body,  neither  voice 
nor  lash  restraining  them,  and  scamper  off  like  a  drove  of  hogs 
in  an  Illinois  oak-opening." 

Though  active  under  the  excitement  of  hunger,  Esquimau 
dogs  are  not  driven  merely  by  words,  but  must  be  industriously 
stimulated  with  a  whip,  in  the  handling  of  which  a  novice  would 
punish  himself  more  than  the  dogs.  Kane  describes  it  as  fol- 
lows : 

41 


642 


THE    WORLD  S   WONDERS. 


"The  whip  is  six  yards  long,  and  the  handle  but  sixteen 
inches, — a  short  lever,  of  course,  to  throw  out  such  a  length  of 
seal-hide.  Learn  to  do  it,  however,  with  a  masterly  sweep,  or 
else  make  up  your  mind  to  forego  driving  sledge  ;  for  the  dogs 
are  guided  solely  by  the  lash,  and  you  must  be  able  not  only  to 
hit  any  particular  dog  out  of  a  team  of  twelve,  but  to  accompany 
the  feat  also,  with  a  resounding  crack.  After  this,  you  find  that 
to  get  your  lash  back  involves  another  difficulty  ;  for  it  is  apt  to 


DR.  KANE'S  SHIP  AND  SLEDGE  PARTIES. 

entangle  itself  among  the  dogs  and  lines,  or  to  fasten  itself  cun- 
ningly round  bits  of  ice,  so  as  to  drag  you  head  over  heels  into 
the  ^now. 

"  The  secret  by  which  this  complicated  set  of  requirements  is 
fulfilled  consists  in  properly  describing  an  arc  from  the  shoulder, 
with  a  stiff  elbow,  giving  the  jerk  to  the  whip-handle  from  the 
hand  and  wrist  alone.  The  lash  trails  behind  as  you  travel,  and 
when  thrown  forward  is  allowed  to  extend  itself  without  an 
effort  to  bring  it  back.  You  wait  patiently  after  giving  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  643 

projectile  impulse  until  it  unwinds  its  slow  length,  reaches  the 
end  of  its  tether,  and  cracks  to  tell  you  that  it  is  at  its  journey's 
end.  Such  a  crack  on  the  ear  or  forefoot  of  an  unfortunate  dog 
is  signalized  by  a  howl  quite  unmistakeable  in  its  import. 

"The  mere  labor  of  using  this  whip  is  such  that  the  Esqui- 
maux travel  in  couples,  one  sledge  after  the  other.  The  hinder 
dogs  follow  mechanically,  and  thus  require  no  whip  ;  and  the 
drivers  change  about  so  as  to  rest  each  other." 

EFFECTS    OF    AN    ARCTIC    NIGHT    ON    DOGS. 

DRS.  KANE  and  Haves  carried  with  them  to  the  Polar  regions 

"  O 

several  large  Newfoundland  dogs,  partly  as  an  experiment,  but 
chiefly  for  the  faithful  companionship  they  would  afford.  It  is 
true  that  a  dog  can  live  wherever  man  can  support  life,  but  these 
sagacious  animals  are  more  susceptible  to  brain  affections  and 
succumb  more  readily  to  a  life  of  inactivity  than  man.  The  ef- 
fects of  an  Arctic  night  on  his  Newfoundland  dogs  is  thus  related 
by  Dr.  Kane : 

"This  morning  at  five  o'clock — for  I  am  so  afflicted  with  the 
insomnium  of  this  eternal  night,  that  I  rise  at  any  time  between 
midnight  and  noon — I  went  upon  deck.  It  was  absolutely  dark  ; 
the  cold  not  permitting  a  swinging  lamp.  There  was  not  a  glim- 
mer came  to  me  through  the  ice-crusted  window-panes  of  the 
cabin.  While  I  was  feeling  my  way,  half  puzzled  as  to  the  best 
method  of  steering  clear  of  whatever  might  be  before  me,  two  of 
my  Newfoundland  dogs  put  their  cold  noses  against  my  hand, 
and  instantly  commenced  the  most  exuberant  antics  of  satisfac- 
tion. It  then  occurred  to  me  how  very  dreary  and  forlorn  must 
these  poor  animals  be,  at  atmospheres  of  plus  10°  in-doors  and 
minus  50°  without — living  in  darkness,  howling  at  an  accidental 
light,  as  if  it  reminded  them  of  the  moon — and  with  nothing, 
either  of  instinct  or  sensation,  to  tell  them  of  the  passing  hours, 
or  to  explain  the  long-lost  daylight. 

"The  mouse-colored  dogs,  the  leaders  of  my  Newfoundland 
team,  have,  for  the  past  fortnight,  been  nursed  like  babies.  No 
one  can  tell  how  anxiously  I  watch  them.  They  are  kept  below, 
tended,  fed,  cleansed }  caressed  and  doctored,  to  the  infinite 


(544  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

discomfort  of  all  hands.  To-day  I  gave  up  the  last  hope  of  saving 
them.  Their  disease  is  as  clearly  mental  as  in  the  case  of  any 
human  being.  The  more  material  functions  of  the  poor  brutes 
go  on  without  interruption  ;  they  eat  voraciously,  retain  their 
strength,  and  sleep  well.  But  all  the  indications  beyond  this  go 
to  prove  that  the  original  epilepsy,  which  was  the  first  manifes- 
tation of  brain  disease  among  them,  has  been  followed  by  a  true 
lunacy.  They  bark  frenziedly  at  nothing,  and  walk  in  straight 
and  curved  lines  with  anxious  and  unwearying  perseverance. 

"They  fawn  on  you,  but  without  seeming  to  appreciate  the 
notice  you  give  them  in  return  ;  pushing  their  heads  against  your 
person,  or  oscillating  with  a  strange  pantomime  of  fear.  Their 
most  intelligent  actions  seem  automatic:  sometimes  they  claw 
you,  as  if  trying  to  burrow  into  your  seal-skins  ;  sometimes  they 
remain  for  hours  in  moody  silence,  and  then  start  off  howling  as 
if  pursued,  and  run  up  and  down  for  hours. 

"So  it  was  with  poor  Flora,  our  '  wise  dog.'  She  was  seized 
with  the  endemic  spasms,  and,  after  a  few  wild,  violent  parox- 
ysms, lapsed  into  a  lethargic  condition,  eating  voraciously,  but 
gaining  no  strength.  This  passing  off,  the  same  crazy  wildness 
took  possession  of  her,  and  she  died  of  brain  disease  in  about  six 
weeks.  Generally  they  perish  with  symptoms  resembling 
locked-jaw  in  less  than  thirty-six  hours  after  the  first  attack." 

In  another  portion  of  his  Journal,  Dr.  Kane  announces  the 
death  of  his  favorite  dog  by  suicide  ;  this  dog  appeared  to  be 
seized  with  a  fit,  but  coining  out  of  this  he  was  still  somewhat 
delirious,  and  went  into  the  water,  where  he  drowned  himself  like 
a  human  distracted  by  a  burden  of  insupportable  woe. 

There  is  so  much  of  identical  character  between  Arctic  dogs 
and  wolves  that  they  are  very  properly  assigned  to  a  family 
origin.  The  oblique  position  of  the  wolf's  eye  is  common  among 
Esquimau  dogs.  Kane  had  a  slut,  one  of  the  tamest  and  most 
affectionate  of  the  whole  of  them,  who  had  the  long  legs  and 
compact  body,  and  drooping  tail,  and  wild,  scared  expression  of 
the  eye,  which  some  naturalists  have  supposed  to  characterize 
the  wolf  alone.  When  domesticated  early — and  it  is  easy  to 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


£45 


domesticate  him — the  wolf  follows  and  loves  you  like  a  do«r. 
That  they  are  fond  of  a  loose  foot  proves  nothing.  "  Many  of 
our  pack,"  says  Kane,  "  will  run  away  for  weeks  into  the  wilder- 
ness of  ice  ;  yet  they  cannot  be  persuaded  when  they  come  back 
to  inhabit  the  kennel  we  have  built  for  them  only  a  hundred 
yards  off.  They  crouch  around  for  the  companionship  of  man." 
Both  animals  howl  alike,  and  their  footprints  are  very  similar, 
while  there  are  well-authenticated  instances  of  their  inter- 
breeding. The  dog  is  to  the  Esquimaux  what  the  horse  is  to  us, 


ESQUIMAU   DOGS. 

if  not,  indeed,  a  more  valuable  friend;  yet  these  faithful  crea- 
tures are  subjected  to  a  treatment  unreasonably  c'jel.  The 
poor  dogs  are  driven  hundreds  of  miles  on  a  pitiful  allowance 
of  frozen  food,  and  when  they  return  to  camp  their  hunger 
is  so  great  that  they  attack  and  devour  almost  anything 
that  can  be  bolted,  when  they  are  beaten  off  with  dreadful 
blows  of  ax  or  hatchet.  Capt.  Hall  mentions  a  fact  as  not 
uncommon,  of  the  Esquimaux  brutally  whipping  their  dogs  just 
before  starting  on  a  journey,  merely  to  excite  and  "  warm  them 


646  THE  WORLD *S   WONDERS. 

up."  Capt.  Hall  relates  the  following  as  illustrative  of  Esquimau 
cruelty  and  superstition  : 

"The  old  woman,  E-vit-shung,  gave  a  specimen  of  her  treat- 
ment of  her  own  dogs,  which  was  amusing  though  severe.  She 
found  them  one  day  asleep  when  tied  up  to  the  rocks,  as  was 
often  necessary  to  prevent  their  cutting  with  their  teeth  into  the 
oil-drugs  and  meat ;  a  valuable  drug  had  just  been  almost  entirely 
ruined.  This,  however,  was  not  the  cause  of  E-vit-shung's 
fearful  pounding.  When  she  arrived  where  some  of  the  dogs 
were  constantly  kept  fast  to  the  rocks  by  long  thongs,  she  stopped 
and  commenced  pelting  one  of  the  largest  with  stones.  Every 
time  she  made  a  throw  she  spoke  to  the  dog  as  though  he  could 
comprehend  Innuit  speech.  What  she  did  say  amounted  simply 
to  this : 

"  '  Here  you  are,  old  dog,  and  all  the  rest  of  you,  sleeping  and 
basking  in  the  hot  sun's  rays  all  day,  and  at  night  wide  awake, 
howling,  barking,  and  crying,  keeping  me  and  all  others  about 
from  getting  aiw  quiet  sleep  ;  and  now,  old  fellow,  I  am  giving 
you  these  stones  for  pay.  As  for  the  rest  of  you  brutes,  I  will 
give  you  some  another  time.'  Her  throws  were  of  some  account 
so  far  as  this  goes :  she  hit  every  time,  and  made  the  dog  cry 
wofully.  Each  time  she  picked  up  a  stone  and  held  it  in  her 
hand  the  dog  watched  her  closely.  Several  false-throw  motions 
were  first  made  by  the  old  woman,  and  when  the  dog  ceased 
dodging  out  would  fly  the  huge  stone  from  her  hand,  hitting  him 
on  the  head,  nose,  or  other  parts  of  the  body.  My  laughing  so 
heartily  was  from  the  business-like  manner  in  which  the  old  lady 
addressed  the  dog  during  the  severe  castigation  she  was  adminis- 
tering to  it.  If  E-vit-shung  can  whip  Innuit  dogs  a  long  time 
after  they  have  done  their  evil  work,  and  make  them  understand 
just  what  their  chastisement  is  for,  then  either  she  has  a  super- 
natural power  or  the  Innuit  dogs  are  intelligent  beings,  moral 
agents,  so  to  call  them." 

LIFE    AND   HABITS    OF    THE    ESQUIMAUX. 

THERE  is  not  a  more  singular  people  on  the  earth  than  those 
living  within  the  arctic  belt ;  nomadic,  and  yet  all  their  resources 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDKUS. 


f?47 


are  taxed  to  procure  a  living  ;  always  pressed  for  food,  and  jet 
wonderful  y  hospitable  ;  true  barbarians,  but  none  the  less  peace- 
able and  clever.  How  different  from  other  indolent  and  improv- 
ident races.  In  the  hot  climates  nature  yields  a  prodigal  supply 
of  nourishing  fruits,  and  tempers  the  winds  so  generously  that 
clothing  is  even  unnecessary,  thus  fulfilling  all  the  conditions  to 
inspire  effeminacy  and  languor.  Away  in  the  chilly  North  nature 
withholds  her  gifts  of  foo'd  and  warmth,  and  then  with  hard  and 
pitiless  niggardness,  she  drives  such  chilly  blasts  as  if  life  within 
her  sphere  had  angered  her.  Under  a  glinting  sky  of  frost, 


TYPES  OF  ESQUIMAUX. 

within  an  unbroken  landscape  of  inexpressibly  lonesome  desola- 
tion, the  Esquimau  makes  his  home  and  lives,  despite  the  rigor 
and  barren  waste  of  his  nameless  country. 

These  wonderful  children  of  eccentric  creation  are  controlled 
by  no  law,  either  written  or  traditional,  and  acknowledge  account- 
ability only  to  their  own  conscience,  and  yet  they  are  orderly  and 
given  little  to  crime.  They  have  patriarchs  in  their  tribes  who 
give  advice  but  never  assert  authority.  Esquimau  children 
render  singular  obedience  to  their  parents,  even  after  reaching 
maturity,  which  proceeds  from  a  remarkable  fraternal  devotion, 


648  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  punishment  of  a  male  child  by  its 
parents.  Females,  however,  fare  badly,  whether  babes,  maidens, 
or  wives,  for  it  is  considered  quite  proper  to  control  the  female 
sex  with  an  iron  hand.  In  former  times,  at  least  among  some  of 
the  Esquimau  tribes,  it  was  customary  for  the  parents  to  smother 
all  their  girl  babies  except  one.  Girls  are  married  before  they 
reach  twenty,  a  thing  not  difficult  to  do,  owing  to  their  scarcity 
and  the  polygamous  practices  of  the  men.  As  soon  as  a  man 
dies  his  widows  are  almost  immediately  appropriated  by  others, 
so  that  there  are  neither  old  maids  nor  widows  among  the  Esqui- 
maux. Another  convenient  custom  which  they  practice  is  to 
exchange  wives  when,  for  any  reason,  the  consorts  of  a  man 
who  is  about  to  set  out  on  a  journey  cannot  accompany  him. 
There  are  always  other  women  who  will  take  their  places,  and 
thus  a  clever  exchange  is  effected.  So  is  the  borrowing  of  wives 
very  common. 

An  exchange  of  children  is  also  sometimes  made,  while  the 
giving  away  of  infants  is  an  ordinary  occurrence.  Children  are 
rarely  weaned  before  they  reach  seven  or  eight  years  of  age, 
though  they  begin  eating  meat  at  one  year.  Marriage  among 
these  savages  is  purely  and  entirely  a  matter  of  convenience,  as 
love  is  a  feeling  unknown  to  them.  Wives  are  usually  purchased 
for  a  trifle,  and  after  being  taken  to  their  husband*'  igloos 
(huts),  they  are  tattooed  in  the  forehead  with  a  character  resem- 
bling the  letter  V.  Others  tattoo  themselves  for  ornamentation, 
but  without  regard  to  definite  figures,  straight  lines  being  mostly 
made,  and  these  confined  principally  to  the  chin. 

Their  dress  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  seventy  of  their  climate. 
With  their  two  pairs  of  breeches  made  of  reindeer  or  seal-skin, 
the  outer  one  having  the  hair  outside  and  the  inner  one  next  the 
body,  and  their  two  jackets — of  which  the  upper  one  is  provided 
with  a  great  hood — with  their  water-tight  seal-skin  boots,  lined 
with  the  downy  skins  of  birds,  and  their  enormous  gloves, 
they  bid  defiance  to  the  severest  cold,  and  even  in  the  hardest 
weather  pursue  their  occupations  in  the  open  air  whenevei 
the  moon  is  in  the  sky,  or  during  the  doubtful  meridian  twi 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


649 


light.  The  women  are  perfect  in  the  art  of  making  water-tight 
shirts,  or  "  Karuleikas,"  of  the  entrails  of  the  seal  or  walrus, 
which  in  summer  serve  to  replace  their  heavy  skin  jackets.  They 
also  sew  their  boots  so  tight  that  not  the  slightest  wet  can  pene- 
trate, and  with  a  neatness  of  which  the  best  shoemaker  in  Europe 
might  be  proud.  The  dress  of  the  two  sexes  is  much  alike,  the 
outer  jacket  having  a  pointed  skirt  before  and  behind,  but  that 
of  the  females  is  a  little  longer.  The  women  also  wear  larger 
hoods,  in  which  they  carry  their  children  ;  and  sometimes  the 
inner  boot  has  in 
front  a  long,  pointed 
flap,  to  answer  the 
same  purpose. 

The  Esquimaux  are 
no  less  skillful  in  the 
construction  of  their 
dome-shaped  huts  of 
a  single  room .  These 
they  make  from 
blocks  of  frozen 
snow,  which  are  cut 
out  with  knives  made 
of  walrus  bone. 
These  blocks  are  not 
more  than  two  inches 
thick,  and  thus  admit 
considerable  light  while  serving  well  to  keep  out  the  wind. 
When  more  light  is  required,  a  small  window  is  cut,  over  which 
a  sheet  of  ice  is  placed,  or  a  well-oiled  piece  of  dried  deer  skin. 

To  secure  warmth  in  specially  severe  seasons,  which  it  seems 
they  have  a  faculty  of  forecasting,  the  Esquimaux  dig  out  a  large 
space,  deep  enough  to  contain  their  huts,  so  that  the  dome  will 
be  even  with  the  surface  of  the  earth.  To  reach  this  under- 
ground habitation  they  dig  a  tunnel,  usually  about  fifteen  feet 
long,  which  first  slants  downward,  then  upward,  where  it  enters 
the  hut ;  the  tunnel  is  so  low  that  it  can  only  be  entered  by 


ESQUIMAU  WOMAN  AND  CHILD. 


WORLD  *S   WONbfcfeS. 


creeping  on  the  hands  and  knees.  As  may  be  imagined,  these 
huts  are  very  warm,  the  temperature  inside  reaching  90°  above, 
while  outside  it  is  50°  below  zero.  The  igloo  is  lighted  by  a  rude 


window,  covered  with  a  piece  of  scraped  seal  intestine  instead  of 
glass,  and  the  smoke  and  gases  are  permitted  to  escape  through 
a  small  hole  at  the  top.  In  these  furnaces  the  natives  go  almost 


THE    WOfcLD'K    WOtfDtifeft. 

naked,  the  women  invariably  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  when 
lying  down  to  sleep  even  the  garments  covering  the  lower  extrem- 
ities are  removed.  . 

Matches,  of  course,  are  unknown  among  the  Esquimaux,  nor 
do  they  resort  to  friction  to  produce  fire,  as  they  have  a  much 
more  admirable  and  expeditious  means.  They  use  two  stones, 
one  an  oxide  of  iron,  in  appearance,  and  the  other  a  milky-look- 
ing quartz ;  these  are  struck  together  in  flint-and-steal  fashion, 
over  a  tinder  composed  of  the  silky  down  of  the  villow-catkins, 
which  is  held  on  a  lump  of  dried  moss.  Under  favorable  condi- 
tions, matches  are  but  a  small  improvement  over  this  native  way 
of  producing  fire. 

The  Esquimaux  subsist  on  an  exclusively  meat  diet,  and  all  eat 
like  gourmands.  Cleanliness  is  something  which  they  do  not 
appreciate,  but  in  this  they  are  excused  by  the  rigor  of  their  cli- 
mate, which  makes  water  both  scarce  and  disagreeable.  Usually 
they  prefer  uncooked  flesh,  though  sometimes  they  boil  their 
meat,  but  only  for  the  soup  it  yields.  Their  mode  of  eat- 
ing from  a  fresh  carcass  is  ingeniously  curious.  They  cut  the 
meat  in  long  strips,  one  end  of  which  is  introduced  into  the 
mouth  and  swallowed  as  far  as  the  powers  of  deglutition  will 
allow,  then  cutting  off  the  portion  left  protruding  from  the  mouth, 
they  repeat  the  process  of  swallowing.  It  is  not  wholly  unlike 
feeding  a  hungry  dog  with  a  fat  piece  of  bacon  tied  to  a  string. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

SEAL    HUNTING. 

THERE  are  several  species  of  seals  living  in  the  Arctic  waters, 
ranging  in  size  from  three  or  four  feet  in  length,  and  weighing 
fifty  pounds,  to  what  is  known  as  the  large-bearded  seal,  which 
often  measures  twelve  feet  in  length  and  weighs  nearly  one  thou- 
sand pounds.  In  the  capture  of  these  animals  the  Esquimaux  are 
wonderfully  skilled,  for  they  make  a  study  of  their  habits  until 


652 


THE   WORLD* 8   WONDERS. 


every  action  is  thoroughly  understood.  The  Hispid  species  is 
most  generally  hunted,  and  it  is  almost  the  staple  diet  of  the 
Esquimaux.  When  raw  it  has  a  flabby  look,.more  like  coagulated 
blood  than  muscular  fiber,  but  cooking  imparts  to  it  a  dark  soot 
color.  The  meat  is  close-grained,  but  soft  and  tender,  with  a 
slight  flavor  of  lamp-oil,  yet  during  spring  and  summer  the  blub- 
ber, when  fresh,  is  sweet  and  delicious.  The  summer  season  is 


SAILORS  KILLING   SEALS  WITH  CLUBS. 


also  most  favorable  for  hunting  them,  as  the  sun's  glare  so  seri- 
ously affects  their  eyes  that  they  are  rendered  almost  blind.  At 
such  seasons  they  are  often  slaughtered  with  clubs,  in  great 
numbers,  by  the  sailors  of  whale  ships. 

If  an  Esquimau  has  any  reason  to  suppose  that  a  seal  is  busy 
gnawing  beneath  the  ice,  he  immediately  attaches  himself  to  the 
place,  and  seldom  leaves  it,  even  in  the  severest  frost,  till  he  has 
succeeded  in  killing  the  animal.  For  this  purpose  he  first  builds 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  653 

a  snow- wall  about  four  feet  in  height,  to  shelter  him  from  the 
wind,  and  seating  himself  under  the  lee  of  it,  deposits  his  .spears, 
lines,  and  other  implements  upon  several  little  forked  sticks 
inserted  into  the  snow,  in  order  to  prevent  the  smalh'.-t  noise 
being  made  in  moving  them  when  wanted.  But  the  most 
curious  precaution  consists  in  tying  his  knees  together  with 
a  thong  so  securely  as  to  prevent  any  rustling  of  his  clothes, 
which  might  otherwise  alarm  the  animal.  In  this  situation  a  man 
will  sit  quietly  sometimes  for  hours  together,  attentively  listening 
to  any  noise  made  by  the  seal,  and  sometimes  using  the  "  deep- 
kuttuk  "  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  animal  is  stilt  at  work 
below.  This  simple  little  instrument — which  affords  another 
striking  proof  of  Esquimau  ingenuity — is  merely  a  slender  rod 
of  bone  (as  delicate  as  a  fine  wire,  that  the  seal  may  not  see  it), 
nicely  rounded,  and  having  a  point  at  one  end  and  a  knob  at  the 
other.  It  is  inserted  into  the  ice,  and  the  knob  remaining  above 
the  surface,  informs  the  fisherman  by  its  motion  whether  the  seal 
is  employed  in  making  his  hole  ;  if  not,  it  remains  undisturbed, 
and  the  attempt  is  given  up  in  that  place.  When  the  hunter  sup- 
poses the  hole  to  be  nearly  completed,  he  cautiously  lifts  his  spear 
(to  which  the  line  has  been  previously  attached),  and  as  soon  as 
the  blowing  of  the  seal  is  distinctly  heard — and  the  ice  conse- 
quently very  thin — he  drives  it  into  him  with  the  force  of  both 
arms,  and  then  cuts  away  with  his  "  panna,"  or  well-sharpened 
knife,  the  remaining  crust  of  ice,  to  enable  him  to  repeat  the 
wounds  and  get  him  out.  The  "  neituk  "  being  the  smallest  seal, 
is  held,  while  struggling,  either  simply  by  hand,  or  by  putting 
the  line  round  a  spear  with  the  point  stuck  into  the  ice.  For  the 
«*  oguke,"  the  line  is  passed  round  the  man's  leg  or  arm  ;  and 
fora  walrus,  round  his  body,  his  feet  being  at  the  same  time 
firmly  set  against  a  hummock  of  ice,  in  which  position  these 
people  can,  from  habit,  hold  against  a  very  heavy  strain.  A  boy 
of  fifteen  is  equal  to  the  killing  of  a  "  neituk,"  but  it  requires  a 
full-grown  person  to  master  either  of  the  larger  animals.  This 
sport  is  not  without  danger,  which  adds  to  the  excitement  of 
success,  particularly  if  the  creature  struck  by  the  hunter  be  a 


654 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


large  seal  or  walrus  ;  for  woe  betide  him  if  he  does  not  instantly 
plant  his  feet  firmly  in  the  ice,  and  throw  himself  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  the  strain  on  the  line  is  as  nearly  as  possible  brought 
into  the  direction  of  the  length  of  the  spine  of  his  back  and  axis 
of  his  lower  limbs.  A  transverse  pull  from  one  of  these  power- 


ful animals  would  double  him  up  across  the  air-hole,  and  perhaps 
break  his  back  ;  or,  if  the  opening  be  large,  as  it  often  is  when 
the  spring  is  advanced,  he  would  be  dragged  under  water  and 
drowned.  When  the  water  is  clear  of  ice,  the  natives  hunt  the 
seals  in  their  kyaks,  which  is  not  only  exciting,  but  dangerous 
sport,  as  the  geuls  pften  climb  upon  and  upset  the  frail  craft, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  655 

CAPT.  HALL  CAPTURES  A  SEAL. 

KILLING  seals  by  using  harpoons  is  peculiar  to  the  Esquimaux, 
whose  patience  is  immeasurable  ;  they  will  sit  over  a  seal-hole  for 
twenty-four  hours,  in  the  most  terrific  cold,  without  moving  a 
muscle,  awaiting  the  animal's  appearance,  and  even  if  then  un- 
successful in  capturing  it,  they  do  not  manifest  any  petulance. 
They  declare  that  no  white  man  can  harpoon  a  seal,  but  Ca.pt. 
Hall  refuted  this  statement  by  a  very  clever  capture  which  is 
related  in  his  journals. 

Being  directed  to  a  seal-hole — which,  it  must  be  remembered, 
is  not  really  a  hole,  but  an  excavation  made  on  the  under  side  of 
the  ice,  shelved  so  as  to  admit  the  animal's  body  out  of  water, 
while  a  surface  ice  is  still  overhead — Hall  took  his  seat  over  the 
spot  and  there  remained  for  an  hour  without  moving,  awaiting 
signs  of  the  seal's  presence  underneath.  At  length  he  heard  a 
softly-breathing  and  .slightly-scratching  noise  below  the  snow  and 
ice.  Raising  himself  cautiously  to  his  feet,  he  lifted  the  harpoon 
over  the  spot,  and  with  all  his  strength  drove  it  down  vertically  ; 
the  blow  was  effective,  for  in  a  moment  the  line  was  jei  Ued  from 
his  hand,  but,  "quick  as  a  flash,"  he  says,  "I  seized  it  again, 
or  I  would  have  lost  my  prize,  as  well  as  the  harpoon  and  line. 
The  sealers  far  and  near  saw  that  I  was  fast  to  a  seal,  and 
although  I  called  to  Nu-ker-zhoo ,  '•kiete!  kietel — come  here! 
come  here  ! — there  was  no  necessity  for  it,  for  before  I  uttered 
a  word  he  and  all  the  others  were  making  their  way  to  me.  Had 
I  caught  a  whale  there  could  not  have  been  more  surprised  and 
happy  souls  than  were  these  Innuits  v>n  finding  I  was  really  fast 
to  a  seal.  Laughter,  hilarity,  joyous  ringing  voices  abounded. 
Almost  the  last  Innuit  who  arrived  to  congratulate  me  was  my 
good  friend  Ou-e-la,  accompanied  by  his  dog,  dragging  a  seal 
which  he  had  just  captured.  Last  of  all  came  the  young  ladies, 
Tuk-too  and  Now-yer,  with  dogs  and  sledge,  and  a  seal  which 
Ar-mou  had  taken  a  little  while  before.  All  this  time  nobody 
had  seen  my  seal,  for  it  was  flipping  away  down  in  saltwater 
beneath  the  snow  and  ice,  still  fast  to  one  end  of  my  line  while  I 
held  on  to  the  other,  Fu-ker-zhoQi  with  hi*  petony  (long  knife), 


656 


THE    WORLD  8    WONDERS. 


then  cut  away  the  snow,  two  feet  in  depth,  covering  the  seal-hole, 
and  removing  still  more  with  my  spear,  he  chiseled  away  the  ice- 
lining  just  above  the  hole.  Soon  the  seal  came  up  to  breathe, 
and  then  the  death-blow  was  given  to  it  by  a  thrust  of  the  spindle 
of  the  spear  directly  into  the  thin  skull.  The  prize  was  drawn 
forth — a  larger  seal  than  either  Ou-e-la's  or  Ar-mou's.  Again 
the  air  resounded  with  shouts  and  joyous  laughter.  It  was  the 
first  case  among  them  of  a  white  man's  success  in  harpooning." 
Another  method  of  killing  seals  is  to  place  a  screen  of  canvas 
on  a  sledge,  and  cautiously  push  it  toward  the  wary  animals  unti'l 


SHOOTING   SEALS   FROM   BEHIND  A   SCREEN. 

within  range,  and  then  shoot  them  through  a  hole  near  the 
center  of  the  screen,  made  for  that  purpose,  the  hunter  remain- 
ing concealed  behind  the  screen. 

HUNTING  THE  POLAR  BEAR. 

As  the  Polar  bear  is  as  great  a  seal-hunter  as  the  Esquimaux, 
one  of  the  usual  methods  employed  by  the  latter  to  catch 
bears  is  to  imitate  the  motions  of  the  seal  by  lying  flat,  on  the  ice 
until  the  hear  approaches  sufficiently  near  to  insure  a  good  aim  ; 
but  a  gun  is  necessary  to  practice  this  stratagem  with  success. 
The  Esquimaux  have  another  ingenious  mode  of  capturing  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  657 

bear  by  taking  advantage  of  the  well-known  voracity  of  the  ani- 
mal, which  generally  swallows  its  food  without  much  mastica- 
tion. A  thick  and  strong  piece  of  whalebone  about  four  inches 
broad  and  two  feet  long,  is  rolled  up  into  a  small  compass,  and 
carefully  enveloped  in  blubber,  forming  a  round  ball.  It  is  then 
placed  in  the  open  air  at  a  low  temperature,  where  it  soon  be- 
comes hard  and  frozen.  The  natives,  armed  with  their  knives, 
bows,  and  arrows,  together  with  this  frozen  bait,  proceed  in 
quest  of  the  bear.  As  soon  as  the  animal  is  seen,  one  of  the  na- 
tives discharges  an  arrow  at  it ;  the  monster,  smarting  from  this 
assault,  chases  the  party,  then  in  full  retreat,  until,  meeting  with 
the  frozen  blubber  dropped  in  his  path,  he  greedily  swallows  it, 
and  continues  the  pursuit — doubtless  fancying  that  there  must  be 
more  where  that  came  from.  The  natural  heat  of  the  body  soon 
causes  the  blubber  to  thaw,  when  the  whalebone,  thus  freed, 
springs  back,  and  frightfully  lacerates  the  stomach.  The  writh- 
ing brute  falls  down  in  helpless  agony,  and  the  Esquimaux,  hur-* 
rying  to  the  spot,  soon  put  an  end  to  his  sufferings. 

A    SAVAGE    CONTEST. 

DR.  KANE,  while  wintering  in  his  vessel,  in  1854-55,  witnessed 
a  most  interesting  tight  between  his  dogs  and  a  large  Polar  bear, 
with  a  four-months  cub  that  had  invaded  the  deck  in  quest  of 
food.  Hearing  a  racket  above  his  head,  he  ran  out  of  the  cabin 
.with  his  six-shooter,  in  time  to  see  his  native  dogs  engaging  a 
medium-sized  she-bear  which  was  at  bay  but  recklessly  sling-ing 
the  dogs  right  and  left.  The  Polar  bear  does  not  hug,  but  snaps 
somewhat  like  a  dog  and  occasionally  uses  its  paws  with  telling 
effect.  In  the  fight  which  was  now  progressing,  the  bear  acted 
always  on  the  defensive,  and  waiting  until  a  dog  ventured  near 
enough,  she  would  seize  him  by  the  neck  and  fling  him  several 
yards  with  a  barely  perceptible  motion  of  the  head  ;  one  of  the 
dogs  was  thrown  entirely  over  the  deck,  a  distance  of  twenty-five 
feet,  onto  the  snow  and  ice  below.  The  dogs  were  fairly  van- 
quished very  soon,  when,  without  a  sign  of  fear,  the  bear  pro- 
ceeded to  turn  over  beef  barrels  and  ram  her  nose  into  the  meat. 
Dr.  Kane  lodged  all  the  bullets  of  his  pistol  in  her  side,  while  his 
42 


658 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


THE    WORLD'S    WONDERS.  650 

companion  wounded  her  with  a  Webster  rifle,  but  even  this  pro- 
duced little  or  no  effect,  for  she  contined  tearing  down  barrels 
of  beef  which  made  triple  walls  to  the  store-house,  and  thus 
mounting  the  rubbish,  seized  a  keg  of  herrings  and  made  off. 
Reaching  the  ice,  however,  the  bear  was  again  beset  with  dogs, 
which  worried  her  by  running  around  and  snapping  at  her  heels, 
until,  to  ward  off  her  enemies,  she  again  came  to  bay,  and  as  be- 
fore, placed  the  cub  between  her  hind-feet  and  bade  defiance. 
More  guns  were  brought,  with  which  she  was  dispatched  only 
after  six  more  bullets  had  pierced  her  body.  When  dressed,  she 
proved  to  be  exceedingly  lean,  and  without  a  particle  of  food  in 
her  stomach.  But  bears  furnish  much  more  palatable  food  when 
in  a  lean  condition  than  when  fat,  for  the  impregnation  of  fatty 
oil  through  the  cellular  tissues  makes  a  well-fed  bear  nearly  un- 
eatable. 

ANOTHER    BATTLE    WITH    A    BEAR. 

SOME  members  of  Dr.  Kane's  expedition  had  another  exciting 
contest  with  a  bear  and  her  cubs,  while  journeying  by  sledge  to- 
ward Cape  Jackson.  Upon  being  pursued,  the  bear  fled,  but  the 
little  ones,  being  unable  either  to  keep  ahead  of  the  dogs  or  to 
keep  pace  with  her,  she  turned  back,  and,  putting  her  head  under 
their  haunches,  threw  them  some  distance  forward.  The  cubs, 
safe  for  the  moment,  she  wrould  wheel  round  and  face  the  dogs, 
so  as  to  give  them  a  chance  to  run  away  ;  but  they  always  stopped 
just  as  they  alighted,  till  she  came  up  and  threw  them  ahead 
again  ;  they  seemed  to  expect  her  aid,  and  would  notsroon  with- 
out it.  Sometimes  the  mother  would  run  a  few  yards  ahead,  as 
if  to  coax  the  young  ones  up  to  her,  and  when  the  dogs  came  up 
she  would  turn  on  them  and  drive  them  back;  then,  as  the}7 
dodged  her  blows,  she  would  rejoin  the  cubs  and  push  them  on, 
sometimes  putting  her  head  under  them,  sometimes  catching 
them  in  her  mouth  by  the  nape  of  the  neck. 

For  a  time  she  managed  her  retreat  with  great  celerity,  leaving 
the  men  far  in  the  rear.  They  had  engaged  her  on  the  land- 
ice  ;  but  she  led  the  dogs  in-shore,  up  a  small  stony  valley 
which  opened  into  the  interior.  After  she  had  gone  a  mile 


660 


THE   WORLD'S    WOK  DEBS. 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  f>(U 

and  a  half,  her  pace  slackened,  and,  the  little  ones  being  jaded, 
she  soon  came  to  a  halt. 

The  men  were  then  only  half  a  mile  behind  ;  and,  running  at 
full  speed,  they  soon  came  up  to  where  the  dogs  were  holding  her 
at  bay.  The  fight  was  now  a  desperate  one.  The  mother  never 
went  more  than  two  yards  ahead,  constantly  looking  at  the  cubs. 
When  the  dogs  came  near  her,  she  would  sit  upon  her  haunches 
and  take  the  little  ones  between  her  hind  le^s,  fighting  the  doo-s 

*5      7          C  ^  O 

with  her  paws,  and  roaring  so  that  she  could  have  been  heard  a 
mile  off.  "  Never,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "  was  an  animal  so 
distressed."  She  would  stretch  her  neck  and  snap  at  the  nearest 
dog  with  her  shining  teeth,  whirling  her  paws  like  the  arms  of  a 
windmill.  If  she  missed  her  aim,  not  daring  to  pursue  one  dog 
lest  the  others  should  harm  the  cubs,  she  would  give  a  great  roar 
of  baffled  rage,  and  go  on  pawing,  and  snapping,  and  facing  the 
ring,  grinning  at  them  with  her  mouth  stretched  wide. 

When  the  men  came  up,  the  little  ones  were  perhaps  rested,  for 
they  were  able  to  turn  round  with  the  dam,  no  matter  how  quick 
she  moved,  so  as  to  keep  always  in  front  of  her.  The  five  dogs 
were  all  the  time  frisking  about  actively,  tormenting  her  like  so 
many  gad-flies  ;  indeed,  they  made  it  difficult  to  draw  a  bead  on 
her  without  killing  them.  But  Hans,  the  Esquimau,  lying  on  his 
elbow,  took  a  quiet  aim  and  shot  her  through  the  head.  She 
dropped  and  rolled  over  dead  without  moving  a  muscle. 

The  dogs  sprang  toward  her  at  once  ;  but  the  cubs  jumped  upon 
her  body  and  reared  up,  for  the  first  time  growling  hoarsely. 
They  seemed  quite  afraid  of  the  little  creatures,  which  fought  so 
actively  and  made  so  much  noise  :  and,  while  tearing  mouthfuls 
of  hair  from  the  dead  mother,  they  would  spring  aside  the  min- 
ute the  cubs  turned  toward  them.  The  men  drove  the  dogs  off 
for  a  time,  but  were  obliged  to  shoot  the  cubs  at  last,  as  they 
would  not  quit  the  body. 

AN    UGLY    VISITOR    IN    CAMP. 

IN  the  latter  part  of  June,  1854,  Dr.  Kane  sent  out  a  party  of 
his  men  from  the  brig,  to  scale  the  Great  Glacier,  from  which  an 
observation  was  hoped  to  be  gained.  The  men  were  gone  nice 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


day*.  but  were  forced  to  return  before  accomplishing  their  ob- 
ject, on  account  of  the  destruction  of  their  provisions  by  bears, 
which  beset  them  in  great  numbers.  At  one  place  where  the 
party  camped,  toward  midnight  their  slumbers  were  interrupted 
by  an  intrusive  visitor,  no  less  important  than  a  bear,  which,  set- 
ting aside  formality,  pushed  open  the  tent  cover  and  walked  in 
to  inspect  the  commissaries.  Scratching  and  growling,  the  ani- 
mal was  not  long  in  awakening  his  hosts,  who,  however,  were 
hospitable  only  through  sheer  necessity.  As  they  sprang  up, 
oulv  to  confront  the  vicious  head  of  bruin,  their  excitement  and 


A   SOCIABLE  BEAR. 

fear  increased  amazingly,  for  all  the  guns  had  been  left  on  the 
sledge  outside.  Lucifer  matches  and  burning  paper  failed  to 
disturb  the  intruder,  who  took  up  a  position  at  the  tent  entrance 
and  began  stuffing  himself  with  the  carcass  of  a  seal  which  had 
been  shot  the  day  before.  One  of  the  party,  at  length,  managed 
to  cut  a  hole  in  the  tent,  through  which  he  crawled  out  and  se- 
cured the  guns,  with  which  bruin  was  speedily  despatched. 

As  the  Polar  bear  is  frequently  found  above  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  nearest  land,  upon  loose  ice  steadily  drifting  into  the 
sea,  it  seems  but  fair  to  assign  him  a  place  among  the  marine 
animals  of  the  Arctic  zone.  He  hunts  by  scent,  and  is  constantly 


THE   WORLD*8   WONDERS. 

running  across  and  against  the  wind,  which  prevails  from  the 
northward,  so  that  the  same  instinct  which  directs  his  search  for 
prey  also  serves  the  important  purpose  of  guiding  hjin  in  the 
direction  of  the  laud  and  more  solid  ice.  His  favorite  food  is 
the  seal,  which  he  surprises  by  crouching  down  with  hisforepaws 
doubled  underneath,  and  pushing  himself  noiselessly  forward 
with  his  hinder  legs  until  within  a  few  yards,  when  he  springs 
upon  his  victim,  whether  in  the  water  or  upon  the  ice.  He  can 
swim  at  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour,  and  can  dive  to  a  consid- 
erable distance.  Though  he  attacks  man  when  hungry,  wounded, 
or  provoked,  he  will  not  injure  him  when  food  more  to  his  liking 
is  at  hand.  Sir  Francis  McClintock  relates  an  anecdote  of  a 
native  of  Upernavik  who  was  out  one  dark  winter's  day  visiting 
his  seal-nets.  He  found  a  seal  entangled,  and  while  kneeling  down 
over  it  upon  the  ice  to  get  it  clear,  he  received  a  slap  on  the  back — 
from  his  companion,  as  he  supposed;  but  a  second  and  heavier 
blow  made  him  look  smartly  round.  He  was  horror-stricken  to 
see  a  peculiarly  grim  old  bear  instead  of  his  comrade.  Without 
taking  further  notice  of  the  man  bruin  tore  the  seal  out  of  the 
net  and  began  his  supper.  He  was  not  interrupted,  nor  did  the 
man  wait  to  see  the  meal  finished,  fearing,  no  doubt,  that  his 
uninvited  and  unceremonious  guest  might  keep  a  corner  for  him. 
Extreme  hunger  will  sometimes  prompt  polar  bears  to  attack 
a  walrus,  but  the  contest  thus  invited  most  commonly  proves 
fatal  to  the  bear,  for,  armed  with  the  strongest  and  sharpest  of 
weapons,  the  walrus  is  a  dreadful  fighter,  while  his  skin  is  so  thick 
and  tough  that  even  the  powerful  jaws  and  claws  of  a  bear  can 
scarcely  produce  any  impression  upon  it.  A  walrus  will  frequently 
whip  or  kill  several  bears  in  a  single  combat,  using  his  sharp 
ivory  tusks  with  fearful  effect.  Such  a  battle  presents  a  grand 
and  awful  spectacle,  never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  beholder. 

ADVENTURES    WITH   THE    WALRUS. 

FEW  arctic  animals  are  more  valuable  to  man,  or  more  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  polar  voyages,  than  the  walrus,  which, 
though  allied  to  the  seals,  differs  greatly  from  them  by  the 
development  of  the  canines  of  the  upper  jaw,  which  form  two 


664  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

enormous  tusks  projecting  downward  to  the  length  of  two  feet. 
The  walrus  is  is  one  of  the  largest  quadrupeds  existing,  as  it  attains 
a  length  of  twenty  feet,  and  a  weight  of  from  fifteen  hundred  to 
two  thousand  pounds.  In  uncouthness  of  form  it  surpasses  even 
the  ungainly  hippopotamus .  It  has  a  small  head  with  a  remark- 
ably thick  upper  lip,  covered  with  large  pellucid  whiskers  or 


FIGHT  BETWEEN   BEARS  AND  A  WALRUS. 


bristles ;  the  neck  is  thick  and  short ;  the  naked  gray  or  red- 
brown  skin  hangs  loosely  on  the  ponderous  and  elongated  trunk ; 
and  the  short  feet  terminate  in  broad  fin-like  paddles,  resembling 
large  ill-fashioned  flaps  of  leather. 

Timorous  and  almost  helpless  on  land,  where,  in  spite  of  its 
formidable  tusks,  it  falls  an  easy  prey  to  the  attacks  of  man, 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  665 

the  walrus  evinces  a  greater  degree  of  courage  in  the  water, 
where  it  is  able  to  make  a  better  use  of  the  strength  and  weapon* 
bestowed  upon  it  by  nature.  Many  instances  are  known  where 
walruses,  which  never  attack  but  when  provoked,  have  turned 
upon  their  assailants,  or  have  even  assembled  from  a  distance  to 
assist  a  wounded  comrade. 

Like  the  seals,  the  walrus  is  easily  tamed,  and  of  a  most  affec- 
tionate temper.  This  was  shown  in  a  remarkable  manner  by  a 
young  walrus  brought  alive  from  Archangel  to  St.  Petersburg  in 
1829.  Its  keeper,  Madame  Dennebecq,  having  tended  it  with  the 
greatest  care,  the  grateful  animal  expressed  its  pleasure  whenever 
she  came  near  it  by  an  affectionate  grunt.  It  not  only  followed 
her  with  its  eyes,  but  was  never  happier  than  when  allowed  to 
lay  its  head  in  her  lap.  The  tenderness  was  reciprocal,  and  Ma- 
dame Dennebecq  used  to  talk  of  her  walrus  with  the  same  warmth 
of  affection  as  if  it  had  been  a  pet  lap-dog. 

That  parental  love  should  be  highly  developed  in  animals  thus 
susceptible  of  friend  sip  may  easily  be  imagined.  Mr.  Lament, 
an  English  gentleman  whom  the  love  of  spor*  led  a  few  years 
since  to  Spitzbergen,  relates  the  case  of  a  wounded  walrus  who 
held  a  very  young  calf  under  her  right  arm.  Whenever  the  har- 
poon was  raised  against  it,  the  mother  carefully  shielded  it  with 
her  own  body.  The  countenance  of  this  poor  animal  was  never 
to  be  forgotten  :  that  of  the  calf  expressive  of  abject  terror, 
and  yet  of  such  a  boundless  confidence  in  its  mother's  power  of 
protecting  it,  as  it  swam  along  under  her  wing,  and  the  old  cow's 
face  showing  such  reckless  defiance  for  all  that  could  be  done  to 
herself,  and  yet  such  terrible  anxiety  as  to  the  safety  of  her  calf. 
This  parental  affection  is  shamefully  misused  by  man,  for  it  is  a 
common  artifice  of  the  walrus-hunters  to  catch  a  young  animal 
and  make  it  grunt,  in  order  to  attract  a  herd. 

Though  affectionate  under  certain  conditions  Jiere  is  no  more 
savage  animal  on  earth  than  a  mad  walrus,  PM-  is  there  one  more 
to  be  feared  in  close  contest.  They  have  ,  ferocious  aspect  dis- 
tinguishable in  no  other  animal. 


666  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

AN  EXCITING  WALRUS  HUNT. 

DR.  KANE  describes  a  walrus  hunt  in  which  he  participated 
with  two  of  his  men,  Myouk,  an  Esquimau,  and  Morton,  who 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the  animal.  They  took 
with  them  three  sledges,  one  of  which  was  taken  to  a  cache  in 
the  neighborhood,  while  the  othertwo,  drawn  by  nine  dogs,  went 
off  toward  the  open  water,  twelve  miles  from  the  brig.  As  they 
came  to  the  sea,  the  two  hunters  would  from  time  to  time  remove 
their  hoods  and  listen  intently  for  the  walrus'  voice. 

After  awhile  Myouk  became  convinced,  from  signs  or  sounds, 
which  were  inappreciable  to  Morton  or  Kane,  that  walruses  were 
sporting  not  far  off,  under  a  thin  formation  of  ice.  As  they  ap- 
proached nearer  they  heard  the  characteristic  bellow  of  a  bull  of 
the  awuk  species.  The  walrus,  like  some  of  the  higher  order  of 
beings  to  which  he  has  been  compared,  is  fond  of  his  own  music, 
and  will  lie  for  hours  listening  to  himself.  His  vocalization  is 
something  between  the  mooing  of  a  cow  and  the  deepest  baying 
of  a  mastiff ;  very  round  and  full,  with  its  barks  or  detached 
notes  repeated  rather  quickly  seven  to  nine  times  in  succession. 

The  party  now  formed  in  single  file,  following  in  each  other's 
steps  ;  and,  guided  by  an  admirable  knowledge  of  ice-topography, 
wound  behind  hummocks  and  ridges  in  a  serpentine  approach  to- 
ward a  group  of  pond-like  discolorations  recently-frozen  ice- 
spots,  but  surrounded  by  firmer  and  older  ice. 

When  within  half-a-mile  of  these  the  line  broke,  and  each  man 
crawled  toward  a  separate  pool :  Morton,  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
following  Myouk.  In  a  few  minutes  the  walruses  were  in  sight. 
They  were  five  in  number,  rising  at  intervals  through  the  ice  in 
a  body,  and  breaking  it  up  with  an  explosive  puff  which  might 
have  been  heard  for  miles.  Two  large,  grim-looking  bulls  were 
conspicuous  as  leaders  of  the  group. 

Now  for  the  marvel  of  the  hunting-craft.  When  the  walrus 
is  above  water  the  hunter  is  flat  and  motionless.  The  animal's 
head  is  hardly  below  the  water-line  before  every  man  is  in  a  rapid 
run  ;  and  again,  as  if  by  instinct,  before  the  beast  returns,  all 
are  motionless  behind  protecting  knolls  of  ice.  They  seem  to 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  f>67 

know  beforehand  not  only  the  time  he  will  be  absent,  but  the 
very  spot  at  which  he  will  reappear.  In  this  way,  hiding  and 
advancing  by  turns,  Myouk,  with  Morton  at  his  heels,  reached  a 
plate  of  thin  ice,  hardly  strong  enough  to  bear  them,  at  the  very 
brink  of  the  water-pool  the  walruses  were  curvetting  in.  Myouk, 
till  now  phlegmatic,  seems  to  awaken  with  excitement.  His  coil 
of  walrus-hide,  a  well-trimmed  line  of  many  fathoms'  length,  is 
lying  at  his  side.  He  fixes  one  end  of  it  in  an  iron  barb,  and 
fastens  this  loosely  by  a  socket  upon  a  shaft  of  unicorn's  horn  ; 
the  other  end  is  already  looped,  or,  as  sailors  would  sa}r,  "  doubled 
in  a  bight."  It  is  the  work  of  a  moment.  He  has  grasped  the 
harpoon  ;  the  water  is  in  motion.  Puffing  with  pent-up  respira- 
tion, the  walrus  is  within  a  couple  of  fathoms  directly  before 
him  ;  Myouk  rises  slowly,  his  right  arm  thrown  back,  the  left 
flat  at  his  side.  The  walrus  looks  about  him,  shaking  the  dripping 
brine  from  his  arched  neck;  Myouk  throws  up  his  left  arm, 
while  the  animal  rises  breast  high  to  fix  one  look  before  plung- 
ing below  again,  but  as  he  poises  the  harpoon  is  buried  under 
his  left  flipper. 

Down  now  the  wounded  walrus  buries  itself  deep  under  water, 
while  Myouk  runs  with  desperate  speed  from  the  scene,  playing 
oft%  his  coil  freely,  but  clutching  the  end  by  its  loop.  As  he  runs 
he  seizes  a  small  piece  of  bone,  rudely  pointed  with  iron,  and  by 
a  sudden  movement  drives  it  into  the  ice  ;  to  this  he  secures  his 
line,  pressing  it  down  close  to  the  ice  surface  with  his  feet. 

Now  comes  the  struggle.  The  hole  is  dashed  in  mad  commo- 
tion with  the  struggles  of  the  wounded  beast ;  the  line  is  drawn 
tight  at  one  moment,  the  next  relaxed  ;  the  hunter  has  not  left 
his  station.  There  is  a  crash  of  the  ice  ;  and  rearing  up  through 
it  are  two  walruses,  not  many  yards  from  where  he  stands.  One 
of  them,  the  male,  is  excited  and  seemingly  terrified  :  the  other, 
the  female,  collected  and  vengeful.  Down  they  go  again,  after 
one  grim  survey  of  the  field :  and  on  the  instant  Moyouk  has 
changed  his  position,  carrying  his  coil  with  him  and  fixing  it  anew. 

He  has  hardly  fixed  it  before  the  pair  have  again  risen,  break- 
ing up  an  area  of  ten  feet  in  diameter  about  the  very  spot  he  left. 


668 


THE    WORLD  S    VVONDKKS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  669 

As  they  sink  once  more  he  again  changes  his  place.  And  so  the 
conflict  goes  on  between  address  and  force,  till  the  victim,  half 
exhausted,  receives  a  second  wound,  and  is  played  like  a  trout  by 
the  angler's  reel. 

The  instinct  of  attack  which  characterizes  the  walrus  is  inter- 
esting to  the  naturalist,  as  it  is  characteristic  also  of  the  land 
animals,  the  pachyderms,  with  which  he  is  classed.  When  wounded 
he  rises  high  out  of  the  water,  plunges  heavily  against  the  ice, 
and  strives  to  raise  himself  with  his  fore-flippers  upon  its  surface. 
As  it  breaks  under  his  weight,  his  countenance  assumes  a  still 
more  vindictive  expression,  his  bark  changes  to  a  roar,  and  the 
foam  pours  out  from  his  jaws  till  it  froths  his  beard. 

Even  when  not  excited,  he  manages  his  tusks  bravely.  They 
are  so  strong  that  he  uses  them  to  grapple  the  rocks  with,  and 
climbs  steeps  of  ice  and  land  which  would  be  inaccessible  to  him 
without  their  aid.  He  ascends  in  this  way  rocky  islands  that  are 
sixty  and  a  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

The  battle  between  the  walrus  and  Dr.  Kane,  Morton  and 
Myouk,  lasted  for  over  four  hours,  during  which  the  desperate 
animal  rushed  continually  at  them,  tearing  off  great  tables  of  ice 
with' his  tusks  and  showing  no  fear  whatever.  He  received 
upward  of  seventy  lance  wounds  before  giving  up  the  contest, 
and  even  then  remained  hooked  to  the  ice  with  his  tusks,  van- 
quished only  by  death. 

To  land  this  huge  animal  required  no  little  skill,  for  its  weight 
was  fully  two  thousand  pounds,  perhaps  more.  Incisions  were 
made  on  both  sides  of  the  neck,  through  which  a  line  of  sealskin 
was  passed,  and  a  pulley  made  in  the  ice,  by  which  it  was  dragged 
out,  several  Esquimaux  assisting. 

HALL'S  BATTLE  WITH  A  WALRUS. 

DURING  the  winter  of  1864,  Capt.  Hall  participated,  with  several 
Esquimaux,  in  an  exciting  walrus  hunt ;  indeed,  the  pursuit  of  this 
animal  is  always  exciting,  for  it  is  in  the  water  what  the  tiger,  or 
elephant,  is  on  land,  a  beast  of  extraordinary  viciousness  and 
power,  capable  of  destroying  even  small  ships,  should  its  energies 
be  so  directed.  Several  dogs  were  taken  with  the  party  to  assist 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS 

in  attacking,  as  they  are  very  serviceable  for  diverting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  walrus,  and  thus  affording  the  harpooners  good  op- 
portunities to  approach  and  throw  their  deadly  instruments. 
The  walrus  feeding  grounds,  which  had  recently  changed,  were 
now  in  a  newly  formed  field  of  ice  that  had  been  detached  from 
shore  and  was  grinding  in  broken  floes.  Here  they  could  be  seen 
sporting,  coming  up  under  the  ice  with  such  force  as  to  throw 
fragments  many  feet  into  the  air.  To  cross  over  this  moving 
Held,  broken  here  and  there,  leaving  fissures  between,  was  a  haz- 
ardous undertaking,  but  the  promise  of  rare  sport  gave  the  party 
courage  to  brave  all  dangers.  For  scores  of  miles  .to  the  north 
and  south,  the  drifting  floe  was  grinding  its  uneven  face  ;igainst 
the  firm  but  jagged  front  on  which  Hall  stood.  Mounting  a  high 
ridge  of  ice,  he  saw,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  seaward  and 
up  and  down  the  bay,  a  boundless  field  slowly  moving  oipv.-ird 
toward  the  south,  but  crushing  to  atoms  miles  and  miles  of  m;is- 
sive  ice;  now  rearing  up  mountains  on  mountains,  now  plowing 
up  acres  into  high  ridges. 

One  of  the  Innuits,  who  had  joined  him,  was  unable  to  reach 
a  large  walrus  which  rose  in  a  small  water-space  five  fathoms  off, 
for  the  "squeezed,  rolling  crunching  mass"  was  working  be- 
tween the  floes.  He  gave  a  quick  signal  to  those  on  the  drifting 
floe,  and  his  companions  ran  rapidly  toward  the  walrus  ;  but  just 
as  he  had  his  harpoon  raised,  the  animal  disappeared  in  the  water. 
Hall  then  directed  their  steps  toward  the  loose  pack  which  the 
others  had  already  gained,  to  reach  which  the  sharp  eye  of  the 
Innuit  quickly  discovered  the  only  possible  crossing.  A  quick 
run,  a  few  steps  over  sludge  and  powdered  ice,  leap  from  this 
trembling  block  to  that  one,  and  a  final  leap  to  the  driving  floe, 
brought  the  two  safely  over. 

Walruses  could  now  be  seen  in  every  direction  ;  some  butting  up 
ice-fragments  from  the  solid  main,  some  with  heads  through  the 
butted  holes,  and  some  with  their  bodies  half  distended  upon  the 
ice.  The  hunters  now  began  their  exciting  work.  In  one  direc- 
tion two  Innuits  were  under  full  run  for  the  same  blowing  wal- 
rus, the  dogs  running  around  them.  Suddenly  the  two  men 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  671 

stopped,  for  the  walrus  had  become  alarmed  and  gone  down.  In 
another  direction  an  excited  group  of  Esquimaux  was  seen,  one 
throwing  a  lance,  another  holding  onto  a  line,  for  a  walrus  had 
been  struck.  With  some  difficulty  Hall  gained  this  group,  but 
only  to  find  the  ice  reddened  with  blood  without  any  further  ap- 
pearance of  the  animal.  He  soon  learned  that  a  very  large  walrus 
had  been  harpooned  and  lanced  almost  to  death,  but  that  the  har- 
poon had  slipped  out,  leaving  the  lance-head,  so  that  the  animal 
had  escaped. 

Hall  hastened  to  a  second  group  of  Innuits,  who  were  as  busily 
occupied  as  the  first,  and  in  a  few  moments  found  himself  pulling 
away  with  others  on  a  line  which  was  fast  to  a  large  walrus. 
After  a  few  pulls,  the  half-killed  animal  came  up  in  a  flouncing, 
tumbling  way.  He  was  furiously  mad.  He  had  not  only  been 
harpooned,  but  lanced  and  lanced  again  and  again,  so  that  at 
every  blow,  quarts  of  thick  dark  blood  were  thrown  up,  scatter- 
ing itself  about,  painting  the  ice,  the  dogs,  and  the  party  with  a 
crimson  hue. 

A  hard  death  did  this  one  die.  He  fought  desperately,  but 
steel  and  sinewy  arms,  under  the  control  of  cool, 'courageous 
hearts,  finally  conquered.  As  often  as  he  came  up  to  blow,  lie 
was  met  by  the  lance  of  the  harpooner,  who  thrust  it  quick  and 
deep  into  the  heart  and  churned  away  until  the  walrus  withdrew 
by  diving  under  the  ice  and  flippering  away  to  the  length  of  the 
line.  Then,  at  each  new  appearance,  he  would  fasten  his  long 
ivory  tusk  (one  had  been  broken  off,  probably  in  some  fight), 
upon  the  edge  of  the  ice,  and  turning  his  blazing,  yet  blood-shot 
eyes  around,  would  dash  at  his  nearest  enemy,  the  very  incarna- 
tion of  madness  ;  failing  to  do  injury,  after  each  futile  blow,  he 
would  dive  down  again,  drawing  the  line  with  great  rapidity  after 
him.  When  he  came  up  to  breathe,  which  he  did  several  times 
through  different  holes,  resting  with  his  tusk  hooked  onto  the 
edge  of  the  ice,  he  expelled  through  his  white-walled  mouth  a 
frightful  stream  of  hot  life-blood,  and  as  the  hungry  dogs  rushed 
up  fearlessly  to  the  very  fountain  whence  the  luscious,  savory 
gore  issued,  the  dying  walrus  quickly  raised  his  Jiead  an 4  struck 


672  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

it  forward  with  tremendous  force,  though  to  little  purpose,  as 
the  dogs  were  too  quick  dodging  the  blows.  /Shoo-she-arJc-nook 
at  last  cut  a  gash  in  the  neck  with  his  pelong  (long  knife)  and 
thrust  the  point  into  the  very  marrow  of  the  spine. 

A  fresh  opening  was  now  made  in  the  ice,  and  to  this  the  car- 
cass was  towed.  Then  the  line,  made  fast  to  the  tough  skin  on 
the  nose,  was  taken  to  the  point  of  a  small  hummock  five  fathoms 
distant,  and  back  again  through  a  hole  in  the  same  tough  skin. 
With  this  purchase,  five  of  the  party  pulled  away  on  the  line, 
gradually  sliding  the  carcass  upon  the  ice.  It  weighed  about 
2,200  pounds. 

THE    REINDEER. 

THE  reindeer,  though  an  Arctic  animal,  is  confined  chiefly  to 
Labrador  and  Northern  Siberia,  where  it  roams  in  vast  herds, 
both  wild  and  domestic.  In  Northern  America  it  is  called  "  Cari- 
bou," but  they  are  not  nearly  so  numerous  there  as  in  Lapland, 
Norway  and  Siberia,  where  they  are  used  extensively  for  draught 
purposes,  and  also  ridden,  though  it  never  m  *kes  an  easy 
riding  animal.  When  it  walks  a  peculiar  clattering  noise  is 
heard  a  considerable  distance,  the  cause  of  which  is  a  matter 
about  which  travelers  and  naturalists  are  not  agreed. 

Its  antlers  are  very  different  from  those  of  the  stag,  having 
broad,  palmated  summits,  and  branching  back  to  the  length  of 
three  or  four  feet,  and  frequently  weighingas  much  as  twenty-five 
pounds.  It  is  remarkable  that  both  sexes  have  horns,  while  in 
all  other  deer  species  the  male  alone  possesses  these  weapons. 

The  female  brings  forth  in  May  a  single  calf,  rarely  two.  The 
offspring  is  small  and  very  weak  for  the  first  few  days,  but  devel- 
ops strength  so  rapidly  that  in  a  month  it  has  even  ceased  nursing 
and  finds  its  own  food. 

The  reindeer  gives  very  little  milk — at  the  very  utmost,  after  the 
young  has  been  weaned,  a  bottleful  daily  ;  but  the  quality  is  excel- 
lent, for  it  is  uncommonly  thick  and  nutritious.  It  consists  almost 
entirely  of  cream,  so  that  a  great  deal  of  water  can  be  added  !><•- 
fore  it  becomes  inferior  to  the  best  cow-milk.  Its  taste  is  excel- 
lent, but  the  butter  made  from  it  is  rancid,  and  hardly  to  beeateu 
while  the  cheese  is  very  good. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  673 

The  reindeer's  food  consists  almost  wholly  of  moss,  which  lies 
deep  under  the  snow.  Nature  has  provided  this  animal  with  such 
a  marvelous  instinct  that  however  deeply  his  food  may  be  covered 
by  snow  he  unerringly  finds  it  by  smelling  along  the  surface. 

The  reindeer  attains  an  age  of  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
years,  but  in  its  domesticated  state  it  is  generally  killed  when 
from  six  to  ten  years  old.  Its  most  dangerous  enemies  are  the 
wolf  and  the  glutton,  or  wolverine,  which  belongs  to  the  blood- 
thirsty marten  and  weasel  family,  and  is  said  to  be  of  uncommon 
fierceness  and  strength.  It  is  about  the  size  of  a  large  badger , 

C-  C  »^,  ' 

between  which  animal  and  the  pole-cat  it  seems  to  be  interme- 
diate, nearly  resembling  the  former  in  its  general  figure  and 
aspect,  and  agreeing  with  the  latter  as  to  its  dentition.  No  dog 
is  capable  of  mastering  a  glutton,  and  even  the  wolf  is  hardly 
able  to  scare  it  from  its  prey.  Its  feet  are  very  short,  so  that  it 
cannot  run  swiftly,  but  it  climbs  with  great  facility  upon  trees, 
or  ascends  even  almost  perpendicular  rock-walls,  where  it  also 
seeks  a  refuge  when  pursued. 

When  it  perceives  a  herd  of  reindeer  browsing  near  a  wood  or 
a  precipice,  it  generally  lies  in  wait  upon  a  branch  or  some  high 
cliff,  and  springs  down  upon  the  first  animal  that  comes  within 
its  reach.  Sometimes,  also,  it  steals  unawares  upon  its  prey,  and 
suddenly  bounding  upon  its  back  kills  it  by  a  single  bite  in  the 
neck.  Many  fables  worthy  of  Munchausen  have  been  told  about 
its  voracity  ;  for  instance,  that  it  is  able  to  devour  two  reindeer 
at  one  meal,  and  that  when  its  stomach  is  exorbitantly  distended 
with  food,  it  will  press  itself  between  two  trees  or  stones  to 
make  room  for  a  new  repast.  It  will,  indeed,  kill  in  one  night 
six  or  eight  reindeer,  but  it  contents  itself  with  sucking  their 
blood,  as  the  weasel  does  with  fowls,  and  eats  no  more  at  one 
meal  than  any  other  carnivorous  animal  of  its  size. 

Besides  this  voracious  enemy  the  reindeer  has  two  others,  both 
of  which  are  a  species  of  gad-fly.  One  of  these  deposits  its 
eggs  in  the  back  of  the  animal,  where  a  larvae  soon  develops, 
producing  a  bad  sore.  The  other  lays  its  eggs  in  the  reindeer's 
nose,  where  the  larvae  bore  their  way  into  the  fauces  and  under  the 
43 


G74 


"THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


tongue  of  the  poor  animal,  producing  intense  pain,  followed  bj 
emaciation  and  sometimes  death  by  exhaustion  from  suffering. 
The  Samoyeds  of  Northern  Siberia  own  vast  herds  of  reindeer 


by  which  their  wealth  is  estimated.  While  thousands  of  domesti- 
cated reindeer  roam  over  the  tundras  of  Siberia,  under  the  charge 
of  herders,  thousands  of  wild  ones  share  the  same  region.  These 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  675 

latter  furnish  the  Samoyeds  with  hunting  sport  which  they  indulge 
in  throughout  all  the  long  winter  months.  There  are  two  ways 
of  taking  the  animal,  and  both  equally  popular.  One  is  by  mak- 
ing a  large  corral  on  the  snow-plains,  which  is  approached  by 
wide  converging  wings.  One  or  more  domestic  reindeer  are  tied 
in  the  center  of  the  corral,  after  which  a  wild  herd  is  driven  to- 
ward the  enclosure,  which  they  enter  through  the  wings,  and  are 
then  quickly  slaughtered.  Reindeer  are  easily  driven,  notwith- 
standing their  shyness,  for  they  keep  together  like  sheep  and  do 
not  run  very  far  before  stopping  to  graze.  This  habit  is  taken 
advantage  of  by  Samoyeds,  not  only  to  capture  them  in  corrals, 
but  also  to  drive  them  into  rivers,  where  men  previously  posted 
on  shore  and  in  boats  armed  with  lances,  easily  despatch  hundreds 
without  trouble. 

THE   MUSK-OX. 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  quadrupeds  of  the  high  northern 
regions  is  the  musk-ox,  which  by  some  naturalists  has  been  con- 
sidered as  intermediate  between  the  sheep  and  the  ox.  It  is  about 
the  height  of  a  deer,  but  of  much  stouter  proportions.  The  horns 
are  very  broad  at  the  base,  almost  meeting  on  the  forehead,  and 
curving  downward  between  the  eye  and  ear  until  about  the  level 
of  the  mouth,  when  they  turn  upward.  Its  long,  thick,  brown 
or  black  hair  hanging  down  below  the  middle  of  the  leg,  and  cov- 
ering on  all  parts  of  the  animal  a  fine  kind  of  soft  ash-colored 
wool,  which  is  of  the  finest  description,  and  capable  of  forming 
the  most  beautiful  fabrics  manufactured,  enables  it  to  remain 
even  during  the  winter  beyond  70°  of  northern  latitude.  In  spring 
it  wanders  over  the  ice  as  far  as  Melville  Island,  or  even  Smith's 
Sound.  They  are  exclusively  confined  to  the  New  World  now, 
though  that  they  were  at  one  time  numerous  in  Siberia  is  attested 
by  the  great  number  of  fossil  remains  of  the  animal  still  to  be 
found  there.  Its  legs  are  short,  but  it  runs  with  much  speed  and 
climbs  lofty  precipices  like  the  Rocky  Mountain  goat.  They  go 
in  herds  of  twenty  or  thirty,  but  are  so  scarce  as  to  be  seldom 
met  with.  Dr.  Kane,  in  all  his  travels  in  the  Arctic  regions,  did 
not  see  a  single  herd,  though  he  obtained  an  excellent  specimen 


676 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


from  flome  Esquimaux,  which  he  stuffed  and  presented  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institute.  Schwatka  was  more  fortunate,  however, 
for  be  met  with  several  and  his  party  was  for  sometime  sustained 
on  their  flesh.  Capt.  Tyson,  of  the  Polaris,  also  mentions  sev- 
eral successful  hunts  for  musk-oxen,  which  he  describes  as  af- 
fording little  sport.  When  attacked  by  dogs  they  form  in  a 
circle  with  their  heads  all  pointed  outward,  and  thus  stand  and 
suffer  themselves  to  be  shot. 


HUNTING    MUSK-OXEN. 


ANOTHER   FIGHT   WITH   MUSK-OXEN. 

THE  Inruits  hunt  the  musk-ox  with  great  success,  by  taking 
advantage  of  the  stubborn  character  which  this  animal  exhibits. 
Capt.  HM!  was  a  witness  of  an  Esquimaux  attack  on  a  herd  of 
musk-oxen,  which  he  describes  as  being  very  exciting.  A  herd 
of  nine  being  discovered,  the  Innuits  slipped  their  dogs  from  the 
sledges  and  made  ready  for  a  big  fight.  As  the  dogs  went 
bounding  and  barking  toward  the  herd,  the  animals  stopped 
quickly  and  formed  a  circle,  with  their  heads  outward  and  horns 
prepared  to  receive  the  charge.  Here  they  stood  defiantly  until 
o  of  the  Esquimau  hunters  advanced  with  a  long  lance  to 


THE  WORLD'S  WOXDKRS.  67V 

within  twelve  feet  of  a  large  hull  and  thei  'nrew  it  with  such 
precision  that  the  animal  received  the  weapon  in  its  shoulder ; 
maddened  by  the  pain  the  bull  plunged  desperately  at  the  man, 
barely  grazing  his  fur  jacket  with  its  sharp  horns.  To  prevent 
further  mischief,  Capt.  Hall  shot  the  infuriated  bull.  Usually,  a 
herd  of  musk-oxen  will  brave  any  danger,  but  in  this  instance,  at 
the  sound  of  the  gun  all  except  two  broke  away  over  the  hills 
and  escaped.  These  two  stood  their  ground,  each  throwing  his 
massive  head  up  and  down  between  his  fore  feet,  rubbing  the 
tips  of  his  horns,  which  were  already  almost  as  sharp  as  needles. 
This  is  their  habit  when  in  open  ground,  but  if  there  are  auy 
rocks  near  by  they  sharpen  their  horns  on  these.  It  was  a  grand 
sight  to  see  the  two  bulls  at  bay.  fire  shooting  from  their  eyes 
and  their  tails  lashing  from  side  to  side  like  lions  before  charging. 
The  dogs  kept  running  round  the  bulls,  sometimes  snapping  at 
their  heels  and  so  distracting  their  attention  that  the  Innuits 
were  enabled  to  advance  close  enough  to  use  their  lances.  The 
contest  was  very  much  more  exciting,  because  more  dangerous, 
than  a  Spanish  bull-fight,  and  for  a  time,  Capt.  Hall  had  great 
fears  for  the  safety  of  the  men,  but  they  were  skilled  in  such 
fighting.  Gradually  the  Innuits  contracted  the  circle  they  had 
formed  around  the  animals,  until  at  last  they  threw  their  lances 
with  such  accuracy  and  fatal  effect  that  the  bulls  charged  blindly, 
only  to  rush  upon  other  lances,  which  speedily  dispatched  them. 
Viewed  in  open  ground,  where  there  is  no  undue  advantage 
taken,  an  Esquimaux  attack  with  lances  on  a  herd  of  musk-oxen 
is  wonderfully  interesting,  and  is  frequently  attended  by  fatal 
results  to  the  attacking  party. 

.       THE   ARCTIC   FOX. 

THE  Arctic  fox  almost  exclusively  inhabits  the  treeless  wastes 
that  fringe  the  Polar  Ocean,  and  is  found  on  almost  all  the  islands 
that  lie  buried  in  its  bosom .  This  pretty  little  creature,  which  in 
water  grows  perfectly  white,  knows  how  to  protect  itself  against 
the  most  intense  cold,  either  by  seeking  a  refuge  in  the  clefts  of 
jocks,  or  by  burrowing  to  a  considerable  depth  in  a  sandy  soil. 
It  principally  preys  upon  lemmings,  stoats,  Polar  hares,  as  well 


678  TUP:    WO&Lb's   WONDEfcS. 

as  upon  all  kinds  of  water-fowl  and  their  eggs  ;  but  when  pinched 
by  hunger,  it  does  not  disdain  the  carcasses  of  fish,  or  the  mol- 
lusks  and  crustaceans  it  m;iy  chance  to  pick  up  on  the  shore.  Its 
enemies  are  the  glutton,  the  snowy  owl,  and  man,  who,  from  the 
Equator  to  the  poles,  leaves  no  creature  unmolested  that  can  in 
any  way  satisfy  his  wants. 

ARCTIC   LEMMINGS. 

LEMMINGS,  of  which  there  are  several  species,  are  small  ro- 
dents, peculiar  to  the  Arctic  regions,  and  are  found  as  far  north 
as  vegetation  extends.  They  breed  like  rabbits,  bringing  forth 
five  and  six  at  a  birth,  and  would  be  very  destructive  but  for 
their  numerous  enemies.  With  the  exception  of  the  bear  and  the 
hedgehog,  they  are  pursued  by  all  the  northern  carnivora.  The 
wolf,  the  fox,  the  glutton,  the  marten,  the  ermine,  devour  them 
with  avidity,  and  a  good  lemming  season  is  a  time  of  unusual 
plenty  for  the  hungry  Laplander's  dog.  The  snowy  owl,  whose 
dense  plumage  enables  it  to  be  a  constant  resident  on  the  tundra, 
almost  exclusively  frequents  those  places  where  lemming,  its  fa- 
vorite food,  are  to  be  found ;  the  buzzards  are  constantly  active 
in  their  destruction  ;  the  crow  feeds  its  young  with  lemmings  ; 
and  even  the  poor  Lap,  when  pressed  by  hunger,  seizes  a  stick, 
and,  for  want  of  better  game,  goes  out  lemming  hunting,  and 
rejoices  when  he  can  kill  a  sufficient  number  for  his  dinner. 

MOSQUITOES   AND     GNATS. 

THE  greatest  plagues  of  the  tropical  countries — mosquitoes  and 
gnats — are  found  in  increased  abundance  in  the  Polar  regions, 
where  they  swarm  at  times  in  such  myriads  as  to  almost  obscure 
the  sun.  Lapland  is  particularly  cursed  with  mosquitoes,  and 
the  people  are  plagued  into  devising  a  thousand  different  ways  to 
escape  the  voracious  insects.  The  gnats  are  no  less  troublesome, 
for  they  are  even  more  numerous  than  mosquitoes  and  bite  with 
almost  equal  severity.  If  anything  eatable  be  exposed  for  even 
a  few  minutes,  the  gnats  and  mosquitoes  dispose  of  it  in  about  as 
quick  time  as  the  crustaceans  of  the  deep  devour  a  piece  of  meat 
flung  into  the  Arctic  sea.  For  one  thing,  however,  "  God  be 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  679 

praised,"  declare  the  Laplanders,  the  Arctic  mosquitoes  are  not 
so  large  as  those  of  tropical  countries ;  if  they  were,  they  would 
devour  men  and  animals. 

Capt.  Hall  describes  the  torment  which  he  suffered  from  these 
pests  of  the  Arctic  regions  during  a  walk  in  July,  in  the  follow- 
ing language : 

"The  sun  was  about  five  degrees  high.  Not  a  breath  of  air 
stirring,  the  sun  shining  hot,  and  the  mosquitoes  desperately 
intent  on  getting  all  the  blood  of  the  only  white  man  of  the 
country.  I  kept  up  a  constant  buttling  with  my  seal-skin  mit- 
tens directly  beiore  my  face,  now  and  then  letting  them  slap  first 
on  one  and  then  on  the  other  of  my  hands,  which  operations 
crushed  many  a  foe.  It  seemed  to  me  at  times  as  if  I  never 
would  get  back.  Minutes  were  like  hours,  and  the  distance  of 
about  two  miles  seemed  more  like  half  a  score.  At  length  I  got 
back  to  my  home,  both  temperature  and  temper  high.  I  made 
quick  work  in  throwing  open  the  canvas  roof  of  our  stores,  and, 
getting  to  our  medicine-chest,  snatched  a  half-pint  bottle  of 
mosquito-proof  oil,  and  with  a  little  of  this  besmeared  every  ex- 
posable  part  of  my  person.  How  glorious  and  sudden  was  the 
change.  A  thousand  devils,  each  armed  with  lancet  and  blood- 
pump,  courageously  battling  my  very  face,  departed  at  once  in 
supreme  disgust  at  the  confounded  stink  the  coal-oil  had  diffused 
about  me." 

RATS   BY  THOUSANDS. 

IT  is  well-known  with  what  generous  favor  rats  estimate  ship- 
board, which  they  will  only  desert  when  the  vessel  is  sinking.  It 
might  be  supposed  that  climate  would  affect  them  unfavorably, 
particularly  a  frigid  temperature,  but  the  supposition  is  ill- 
founded.  They  will  not  only  accompany  a  vessel  to  the  Arctic 
regions,  but  their  rapid  reproduction  is  not  affected  by  rigorous 
experience.  Kane  speaks  of  the  rats  which  clung  to  his  ship  until 
their  numbers  were  really  prodigious.  They  attacked  everything 
placed  below  decks,  furs,  woollens,  shoes,  specimens  of  natural 
history,  and  everything  else.  He  writes,  ««  We  have  moved  ev- 
erything movable  out  upon  the  ice,  and,  besides  our  dividing 


080  THE   WORLD'S  WONDEKS. 

moss' wall  between  our  sanctum  and  the  forecastle,  we  have  built 
up  a  rude  barrier  of  our  iron  sheathing  to  prevent  these  abomi- 
nable rats  from  gnawing  through.  It  is  all  in  vain.  They  are 
everywhere  already,  under  the  stove,  in  the  steward's  lockers,  in 
our  cushions,  about  our  beds.  If  I  was  asked  what,  after  dark- 
ness and  cold  and  scurvy,  are  the  three  besetting  curses  of  our 
Arctic  sojourn,  I  should  say,  Rats,  Rats,  Rats.  A  mother-rat 
bit  my  finger  to  the  bone,  as  I  was  intruding  my  hand  into  a  bear- 
skin mitten  which  she  had  chosen  as  a  homestead  for  her  little 
family.  I  withdrew  it  of  course  with  instinctive  courtesy  ;  but 
among  them  they  carried  off  the  mitten  before  I  could  suck  the 
finger. 

"Last  week,  I  sent  down  the  most  intelligent  dog  of  our 
whole  pack  to  bivouac  in  their  citadel  forward  :  I  thought  she 
might  at  least  be  able  to  defend  herself  against  them,  for  she 
had  distinguished  herself  in  the  bear-hunt.  She  slept  very  well 
for  a  couple  of  hours  on  a  bed  she  had  chosen  for  herself  on  the 
top  of  some  iron  spikes.  But  the  rats  could  not  or  would  not 
forego  the  horny  skin  about  her  paws  ;  and  they  gnawed  her  feet 
and  nails  so  ferociously  that  we  drew  her  up  yelping  and  van- 
quished." 

Kane  next  fell  to  eating  the  rats,  which  he  affirms  made  a  most 
palatable  food,  and  to  this  rat  diet  he  attributed  his  comparative 
immunity  from  scurvy.  He  says  :  "  I  had  only  one  competitor 
in  the  dispensation  of  this  entremet,  or  rather  one  companion  ; 
for  there  was  an  abundance  for  both.  It  was  a  fox : — we  caught 
and  domesticated  him  late  in  the  winter;  but  the  scantiness  of 
our  resources,  and  of  course  his  own,  soon  instructed  him  in  all 
the  antipathies  of  a  terrier.  He  had  only  one  fault  as  a  rat- 
catcher ;  he  would  never  catch  a  second  till  he  had  eaten  the 
first." 

ARCTIC   HARES. 

ONE  of  the  most  beautiful  animals  in  the  Polar  regions  is  the 
Arctic  hare.  In  size  it  is  about  equal  to  our  jack-rabbit,  but  its 
coat  is  a  beautiful  clear  white,  while  the  ears  are  tipped  with 
black.  They  are  numerous  and  distributed  over  a  great  extent 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  681 

of  country,  from  North  British  America  as  far  a.s  any  explorer 
has  ever  gone  toward  the  pole.  They  feed  on  the  bark  and 
catkins  of  the  willow,  and  lie  on  the  stony  sides  of  worn-down 
rocks  in  order  to  protect  themselves  from  the  wind  and  snow- 
drifts. They  do  not  burrow  like  our  rabbits,  but  squat  in  crevices 
or  under  large  stones.  Their  average  weight  is  about  nine  pounds. 
Esquimau  dogs  hunt  them  pertinaciously  and  regard  them  with 
such  relishing  appetite  that  they  cannot  be  relied  on  as  an  assist- 
ant to  man.  The  arctic  hare  is  enabled  to  penetrate  the  snow 
crusts  and  obtain  food  where  the  reindeer  and  the  musk-ox 
perish  in  consequence  of  the  glazed  covering  of  their  feeding 
grounds. 

A    TRADITIONARY    ANIMAL. 

THE  Esquimaux,  like  all  barbaric  people,  are  much  given  to 
exaggeration,  so  that  it  will  not  do  to  place  reliance  in  many  of 
their  statements.  Their  country  being  a  strange  one,  sometimes 
it  is  impossible  to  decide  between  truth  and  misrepresentation, 
for  they  do  frequently  describe  things  that  appear  improbable  to 
us,  and  yet  their  statements  are  true.  For  example,  during 
Capt.  Hall's  five  years'  residence  among  these  people  he  had 
often  described  to  him  an  animal  which  the  Esquimaux  call  arda, 
but  which  is  not  mentioned  in  any  work  of  natural  history,  nor 
did  he  ever  see  a  specimen  himself,  yet  he  was  indisposed  to 
declare  it  mythical.  The  natives  speak  of  this  animal  as  being 
larger  than  the  bear,  and  as  very  ferocious  and  much  more  difficult 
to  be  killed.  It  has  grayish  hair,  a  long  tail,  and  short,  thick 
legs,  its  fore  feet  being  divided  into  three  parts,  like  the  part- 
ridge's :  its  hind  feet  are  like  a  man's  heels.  When  resting  it  sits 

O  "  *—• 

upright  like  a  man.  A  Neitchille  Innuit,  crawling  into  a  hole  for 
shelter, 'in  the  night,  had  found  one  sound  asleep  and  quickly 
dispatched  it  with  his  knife.  It  may  be  added  here  that  Ebierbing, 
who  was  Hall's  interpreter,  now  residing  in  the  United  States, 
confirms  such  accounts  of  the  arcla,  and  says  that  the  animal 
once  inhabited  his  native  country  on  Cumberland  Sound. 

We  know  that  stranger-appearing  creatures  than  this  once 
roamed  over  the  earth,  some  of  which  are  known  to  us  through 


C82  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

their  fossil  remains,  while  no  doubt  many  others  existed  of  which 
we  have  no  conception,  because  every  vestige  of  them  has  long 
since  disappeared  under  the  fading  effects  of  time,  soil  and 
climate.  It  was  once  stoutly  denied  that  there  was  any  such 
animal  as  the  gorilla  ;  who  shall  therefore  say  that  the  arcla  exists 
only  as  the  coinage  of  a  fertile  brain? 

ARCTIC    BIRDS. 

BIRDS,  of  many  and  varying  species,  are  numerous  in  the 
arctic  regions,  such  as  snow-owls,  ptarmigan — both  of  which 
seek  their  food  under  the  snow — the  king  eider  duck,  brent  geese, 
great  northern  black  and  red-throated  divers,  bermide  geese,  sea 
eagles,  and  others  of  less  size  and  quiet  habits,  such  as  the  Lap- 
land bunting,  pin-tail  ducks,  and  the  snow-bunting.  This  latter 
may  properly  be  called  the  polar  singing  bird,  for  it  sings  the 
sweetest  lays  throughout  the  fugitive  summer,  and  to  a  traveler 
in  that  bleak  region  is  a  genuine  joy.  The  auk  is  a  prolific  inhab- 
itant of  the  polar  climate,  where  it  breeds  with  the  rapidity  of 
English  sparrows  in  our  own  country.  There  are  islands  in  the 
arctic  seas  which  seem  to  be  composed  almost  entirely  of  auk 
guano,  and  so  thickly  do  the  birds  settle  at  times  that  they  cover 
acres  of  the  rocky  and  precipitous  formations  which  rise  out  of 
the  Northern  ocean.  The  Esquimaux  catch  them  in  great  num- 
bers by  means  of  a  circular  net,  made  fast  to  a  handle  of  nor- 
whal  bone  and  used  as  we  do  a  fish  net. 

The  ptarmigan,  or  snow-partridge,  is  found  in  great  abundance 
in  many  parts  of  the  polar  regions.  Its  flesh  is  delicious,  and  is 
highly  prized  by  natives  and  arctic  travelers.  They  go  in  flocks, 
like  the  quail,  which  they  somewhat  resemble  ;  but  their  winter 
dress  is  snow-white,  except  their  tail-feathers,  and  when  at  rest, 
they  are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  snow  at  a  distance  of 
ten  feet. 

The  sea  eagle  is  monarch  of  the  frigid  air,  in  which  his  lordly 
sway  is  acknowledged  by  the  fear  which  his  presence  inspires  in 
all  the  feathered  creature*  which  share  his  kingdom.  At  his 
approach  the  gull  and  the  auk  conceal  themselves  in  the  fissures 
of  the  rocks,  but  are  frequently  dragged  forth  by  then1  relentless 


THE  WORLD'S 


683 


enemy.  The  divers  are,  according  to  \Vulilengreii,  mo  re  "imper- 
illed from  his  attacks  than  those  sea-birds  which  do  not  plunge, 
for  the  latter  rise  into  the  air  as  soon  as  their  piercing  eye  espies 
the  universally  dreaded  tyrant,  and  thus  escape  ;  while  the  for- 
mer, blindly  trusting  to  the  element  in  which  they  are  capable  of 
finding  a  temporary  refuge,  allow  him  to  approach,  and  then  sud- 
denly diving,  fancy  themselves  in  safety,  while  the  eagle  is  only 
waiting  for  the  moment  of  their  re-appearance  to  repeat  his  at- 
tack. Twice  or  thrice  they  may  possibly  escape  his  claws  by  a 


ARCTIC   PTARMIGAN. 

rapid  plunge,  but  when  for  the  fourth  time  they  rise  out  of  the 
water,  and  remain  but  one  instant  above  the  surface,  that  instant 
seals  their  doom.  The  sea  eagle  is  equally  formidable  to  the 
denizens  of  the  ocean,  but  sometimes  too  great  a  confidence  in  his 
strength  leads  to  his  destruction,  for  Kittlitz  was  informed  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Kamschatka  that,  pouncing  upon  a  dolphin,  he  is 
not  infrequently  dragged  down  into  the  water  by  the  diving  ceta- 
cean in  whose  skin  his  talons  remain  fixed. 

Sea  gulls  of  the  Arctic  regions  are  as  rapacious  as  sea  eagles, 
though  their  carnivorous  appetite  does  not  feast  itself  on  such  a 


684  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

diversity  of  flesh.  The  glaucous  gulls  are  like  cormorants,  al- 
ways watching  for  fish,  but  equally  glad  when  they  can  seize  a 
young  duck.  During  breeding  time  the  mother  gulls  are  very 
destructive  to  the  ducks,  over  whose  peaceful  shallows  they  sail 
until  opportunity  invites,  when  down  they  swoop  with  a  loud 
rush  of  wing  and  carry  off  young  eiders  as  their  wants  require. 
A  more  domineering  or  insatiable  rapacity  is  not  exhibited  by  any 
other  bird  or  animul.  The  gull  will  gobble  up  and  swallow  a 
fledgling  duck  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  describe  the  act.  For 
a  moment  the  paddling  feet  of  the  poor  little  victim  are  seen  pro- 
truding from  the  mouth  ;  then  comes  a  distension  of  the  neck  as 
the  duck  descends  into  the  stomach  ;  a  few  moments  more  and 
the  young  gulls  are  feeding  on  the  ejected  morsel. 

The  mother  duck,  nearly  distracted  by  her  loss,  battles  with  all 
her  might,  but  she  cannot  always  reassemble  her  scattered  brood. 
In  trying  to  defend  one  she  uncovers  others,  until  frequently  she 
is  left  as  destitute  as  Niobe  ;  but  in  this  case  she  adopts  a  new 
progeny. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

INHABITANTS    OF    THE    ARCTIC   DEEP. 

THE  sparse  life  found  on  the  ice  and  snowy  wastes  in  the 
northern  zone  is  well  compensated  by  the  multitude  of  marine 
animals  which  sport  under  and  about  the  pole.  There  is  a  marked 
difference  of  temperature  in  the  air  and  water,  for  below  the  sur- 
face there  is  a  rapid  increase  of  warmth,  caused  by  under-cur- 
rents  and  streams  flowing  from  the  tropics.  This  modification  is 
highly  conducive  to  the  propagation  of  many  water  animals,  pe- 
culiar to  the  Arctic  regions,  which  could  not  survive  in  as  low  a 
temperature  as  obtains  on  the  laud.  It  is  a  fact  that  animal 
life  is  greater  in  the  Arctic  than  in  the  Tropical  seas.  There  is  a 
portion  of  the  Arctic  ocean  between  74°  and  80°  which  wears  a 
color  varying  from  purest  ultra-marine  to  olive  green,  and  from 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  685 

crystalline  transparency  to  striking  opacity,  which  is  due  mainly  to 
small  medusae — sea-nettles  and  jelly-fish — and  nudibranehiate — 
naked  mollusks.  These  are  calculated  to  form  one-fourth  part 
of  the  surface  of  the  sea  between  the  above  mentioned  parallels, 
so  that  many  thousands  of  square  miles  are  absolutely  teeming 
with  life. 

On  the  coast  of  Greenland,  where  the  waters  are  so  transparent 
that  the  bottom  is  clearly  visible  at  a  distance  of  300  feet,  there 
may  be  seen  gigantic  tangles  growing  in  the  depth,  around  the 
fronds  of  which  millions  of  tiny  creatures  are  always  circulating. 
A  dead  seal  or  fish  is  speedily  converted  into  a  skeleton  by  the 
myriads  of  small  crustaceans  which  infest  these  icy  waters,  and, 
like  the  ants  of  equatorial  forests,  perform  the  part  of  scavengers 
of  the  deep.  This  minute  animal  life  affords  most  interesting 
study  to  the  scientist,  but  our  remaining  space  must  be  reserved 
for  the  greater  wonders,  such  as  whales,  norwhals,  sea  unicorns, 
dolphins,  and  other  large  inhabitants  of  the  polar  seas. 

WONDERS    OF    THE    WHALE. 

THE  largest  of  all  animals  is  the  whale,  a  very  leviathan,  pon- 
derous with  bulk  and  powerful  with  energy.  The  wonders  of 
nature  are  shown  in  this  animal  more  amazingly  than  any  other 
creature.  These  remarkable  phenomena  are  not  found  alone 
in  its  extraordinary  size,  but  in  its  structure  and  habits  as  well. 
The  largest  species  attains  a  length  of  one  hundred  feet,  while 
its  head  measures  fully  thirty  feet,  a  wonderful  proportion  ;  and 
yet  there  is  no  trace  of  neck  even  in  the  skeleton  ;  they  have 
nostrils,  but  not  for  the  exercise  of  smell,  being  used  for  respira- 
tion and  also  for  hearing  ;  there  is  no  external  ear,  and  the  audi- 
tory opening  is  extremely  small,  to  prevent  the  undue  access  of 
water.  Air  penetrates  into  the  large  eustachian  tubes  through 
the  blow-holes,  permitting  the  appreciation  of  sounds,  both  in 
the  air  and  water.  It  may  therefore  be  said,  paradoxically,  that 
the  whale  smells  with  his  ears  and  hears  with  his  nose.  The 
mouth  is  of  great  width  and  the  jaws  are  armed  with  plates  of 
whalebone,  or  numerous  conical  teeth,  the  former  acting  as  a 
strainer  of  its  food  for  one  species,  while  in  another  the  teeth 


686  THE    WORLD'S    WONDERS. 

perform  the  usual  function  of  grinding.  The  skin  is  naked,  ex- 
cept a  few  bristles  about  the  jaws,  and  beneath  it  is  a  thick  coat 
of  fat  or  blubber,  preserving  the  temperature  of  the  body  and 
reducing  its  specific  gravity;  this  fat  affords  the  oil  for  which 
whales  are  chiefly  pursued.  Formerly,  naturalists  regarded  the 
blubber  as  subcutaneous,  but  it  is  now  a  settled  fact  that  it  is  a 
part  of  the  true  skin,  the  fibres  forming  an  open  net-work  in 
which  the  fat  is  held. 

Though  all  whales  are  carnivorous,  the  stomach  is  divided  into 
from  three  to  six  different  compartments,  but  for  what  reason  is 
not  understood.  Until  the  time  of  Linneus  whales  were  regarded 
as  fishes,  but  they  are  no  longer  thus  classed.  They  are  a  true 
mammal,  warm-blooded,  air-breathing,  bring  forth  their  young 
(usually  one)  alive,  and  suckle  them  for  a  considerable  time  by 
means  of  two  abdominal  mammae.  Though  a  whale's  mouth  is 
quite  large  enough  to  contain  a  ship's  long-boat,  yet  the  opening 
into  the  gullet  is  not  larger  than  a  man's  fist.  It  feeds  upon  jelly 
fish  and  small  swimming  mollusks,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  swallows 
anything  larger  than  a  herring. 

The  period  of  gestation  is  variously  placed  at  from  eight  to 
eighteen  months  ;  at  birth  the  young  measures  from  ten  to  four- 
teen feet  in  length,  and  is  very  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  mother 
for  one  year.  While  nursing  they  roll  from  side  to  side,  so  as  to 
give  each  a  chance  of  breathing.  The  mother  has  great  affection 
for  her  young,  and  will  defend  it  as  long  as  life  lasts. 

There  are  a  great  many  species  of  whales,  in  which  the  size 
varies  from  twelve  to  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  with  the 
single  exception  of  being  mammals,  they  vary  as  greatly  in  habits. 
The  ones  most  sought  within  the  Polar  circle  are  either  the  "  right 
whale  "  or  the  "  white  whale  :"  but  there  is  the  bow-head,  sul- 
phur-bottoms, spermaceti,  and  others.  All  the  large  ones  of 
that  region  are  called  "  balleeners,"  as  their  mouths  are  furnished 
with  the  balleen,  or  whalebone,  of  commerce.  The  oil  of  an 
average  whale  is  worth  about  $2,300,  while  the  value  of  the 
bone  is  about  $3,000. 

The  right  whale  is  often  fifty  or  sixty  feet  long,  but  the  white 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  687 

whale  does  not  average  more  than  fifteen — from  twelve  to  twenty. 
The  blubber  produces  a  very  superior  kind  of  oil,  and  its  texture 
is  more  gelatinous  and  less  gross  than  that  of  the  larger  whales. 
In  the  water  this  fish  is  a  brilliant,  shiny  white.  A  common  har- 
poon is  scarcely  fit  for  this  fish,  for  it  is  necessary  to  penetrate 
through  the  blubber  to  the  flesh  to  have  it  hold.  The  Esquimaux 
consider  the  flesh  of  the  white  whale  excellent  eating. 

ADVENTURE    WITH   A   WHALE. 

CAPT.  TYSON,  who  was  with  Capt.  Hall  in  the  Polaris  expedi- 
tion, thus  describes  the  killing  of  a  whale,  in  which  he  partici- 
pated : 

"  I  once  had,  when  I  was  boat-steerer,  quite  an  adventure  with 
a  whale  which  was  determined  not  to  die.  It  was  a  large  and 

C 

valuable  balleener.  Soon  after  the  boat  was  lowered  we  got 
alongside.  As  I  rose  to  heave  the  harpoon,  it  seemed,  almost  in 
an  instant,  that  the  whale  had  plunged  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
bay  ;  as  the  rope  uncoiled  and  went  over  the  gunwale  it  fairly 
smoked  with  the  intense  rapidity  of  the  friction,  and  I  hud  to 
order  it  '  doused'  to  prevent  its  taking  fire.  It  came,  too,  within 
a  hair-breadth  of  capsizing  us.  Fortunately,  the  line  was  over 
seventy  fathoms  long,  and  of  the  strongest  kind.  After  she  plunged 
we  followed  on,  it  taking  all  our  strength  to  bring  the  boat  near 
enough  to  keep  the  line  slack.  She  staid  under  water  the  first 
time  so  long  that  we  thought  she  was  dead  and  sunk.  It  was 
nearly  an  hour  before  she  rose :  and  when  she  did,  the  jerk 
almost  snapped  our  strong  line,  already  weakened  by  the  friction 
and  unusual  tension. 

*'  As  soon  as  she  appeared  she  began  to  beat  the  water  with 
her  flukes,  and  swirled  around  so  that  it  appeared  impossible  to 
get  a  lance  into  her,  and,  while  I  was  endeavoring  to  do  this,  out- 
line parted,  and  away  she  went,  carrying  the  harpoon  with  her. 
We  followed  with  all  the  speed  we  could  force,  and  at  last,  after 
several  hours'  hard  pull,  came  up  with  her.  She  seemed  to  know 
we  were  following,  and  several  time  disappeared,  and  then  coming 
up  to  blow,  perhaps  half  a  mile  off ;  but  we  were  bound  to  have 
her.  On  and  on  she  went,  on  and  on  we  followed.  The  moon 


688  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

was  shining,  and  the  Arctic  summer  night  was  almost  as  light  as 
day,  and  deep  into  the  night  we  followed  her.  Down  she  went, 
for  the  sixth  or  seventh  time,  but  fatigue  was  getting  the  better 
of  her.  She  was  weakening,  while,  with  all  the  fatigue,  our 
spirits,  and  strength,  too,  were  kept  up  by  the  excitement.  At 
last,  when  we  had  been  nearly  twenty-four  hours  on  the  chase,  ] 
got  another  harpoon  in  her.  This  seemed  to  madden  her  afresh. 
Another  plunge,  which  had  nearly  carried  us  with  her  ;  but  this 
time  she  did  not  stay  down  more  than  ten  or  twelve  minutes. 
Up  she  came  once  more,  the  water  all  around  covered  with  blood, 
and  we  knew  she  was  done  for.  Three  or  four  lances  were  hurled 
into  her  ponderous  bulk,  and  at  last  our  exertions  were  rewarded 
by  seeing  her  roll  over  on  her  side.  She  was  dead.  We  bent  on 
another  strong  line,  and  soon  towed  her  to  a  floe.  But  we  found 
ourselves,  with  our  prize,  a  good  nine  miles  from  the  ship.  We 
could  not,  therefore,  save  the  blubber,  but  we  made  a  good 
haul  of  balleen,  with  which  we  loaded  our  boat  to  its  utmost  ca- 
pacity, and  then  dragged  her,  with  ^er  heavy  cargo,  the  wrhole 
distance  over  the  ice  to  the  ship,  which  is  what  I  call  a  fair  day's 
work." 

But  not  every  attack  upon  the  whale  is  as  successful  as  was  the 
one  Capt.  Tyson  relates.  The  spermaceti  whale,  which  grows  to 
the  length  of  seventy-five  feet,  is  really  a  dangerous  animal,  for 
it  not  only  uses  its  flukes  to  dash  -\  boat  to  pieces,  but  it  is  not 
slow  to  attack  with  its  well-armed  jaws.  These  whales  usually  go 
in  herds  of  twenty  or  thirty,  and  the  whole  herd  have  been  known 
to  rush  to  the  assistance  of  a  wounded  comrade,  in  which  case 
they  will  even  sink  a  sailing  ship. 

THE    NORWHAL. 

THE  seas  of  Nova  Zembla,  Spitzbergen,  and  Greenland  are  the 
domain  of  the  norwhal,  or  sea-unicorn,  a  cetacean  quite  as 
strange,  but  not  so  fabulous,  as  the  terrestrial  animal  which  figures 
in  the  arms  of  England.  The  use  of  the  enormously  spirally- 
wound  tusk  projecting  from  its  upper  jaw,  and  from  which  it 
derives  its  popular  name,  has  not  been  clearly  ascertained,  some 
maintaining  that.it  is  a  weapon  of  defense,  while  others  suppose 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  680 

it  to  be  only  an  ornament,  or  mark  of  the  superior  dignity  of  the 
sexto  which  it  has  been  awarded.  It  is  known  to  use  it  for 
breaking  ice  to  obtain  a  breathing  hole,  and  Scoresby  asserts  that 
with  the  tusk  it  transfixes  flat  fish,  upon  which  it  feeds. 

The  norwhal  attains  a  length  of  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet,  and 
the  tusk  is  sometimes  ten  feet  in  length.  This  tusk  is  of  solid 
ivory,  and  grows  from  the  intermaxillary  bone  from  a  permanent 
pulp,  as  in  the  elephant.  They  are  generally  in  bands  of  ten  to 
twenty,  and  are  often  seen  sporting  and  spouting  around  whaling 
vessels,  elevating  their  tusks  as  though  specially  proud  of  show- 
ing them.  Norwhals  are  migratory,  and  their  appearance  is 
hailed  with  delight  by  the  Greenlanders,  who  consider  them  the 
certain  forerunners  of  the  right  whale,  as  they  both  feed  on  the 
same  kinds  of  food.  They  are  harpooned  for  their  ivory,  oil  and 
flesh,  which  latter  the  Greenlanders  consider  ".rare  delicacy.  The 
ivory  is  very  hard  and  susceptible  of  a  high  polish.  A  famous 
throne  of  the  kings  of  Denmark  is  said  to  be  made  of  walrus 
tusks. 

THE    DOLPHIN. 

THERE  are  so  many  species  of  this  animal  inhabiting  the  polar 
and  tropical  seas  alike,  that  any  attempt  to  describe  it  in  detail 
would  be  foreign  to  our  general  subject,  treating  as  it  does  of 
Arctic  animals.  The  dolphin  is  allied  to  the  whale,  though  not 
in  resemblance,  but  it  is  a  warm  blooded  animal,  brings  forth  its 
young  and  suckles  them  in  the  same  manner,  and  also  projects 
water  through  a  similar  spiracle  opening  at  the  top  of  its  head. 
Those  inhabiting  the  Arctic  waters  are  called  black  dolphins  and 
bottle-nosed  whales.  It  grows  to  a  length  of  twenty  feet,  and 
being  armed  with  136  powerful  teeth,  it  is  a  dreadful  enemy  to 
small  fish,  upon  which  it  preys.  No  cetacean  strands  more  fre- 
quently than  the  black  dolphin,  and  occasionally  large  herds  have 
been  driven  on  the  shores  of  Iceland,  Norway,  and  the  Orkney, 
Shetland  and  Faeroe  islands,  where  their  capture  is  hailed  as  a 
godsend.  The  intelligence  that  a  shoal  of  ca'ing  whales  or  grinds 

t5  55 

has  been  seen  approaching  the  coast,  creates  great  excitement 
among  the   otherwise   phlegmatic    inhabitants   of    the    Faeroe 
44 


690  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Islands.  The  whole  neighborhood,  old  and  young,  is  instantly  in 
motion,  and  soon  numerous  boats  shoot  off  from  shore  to  inter- 
cept the  retreat  of  the  dolphins.  Slowly  and  steadily  they  are 
driven  toward  the  coast;  the  phalanx  of  their  enemies  draws 
closer  and  closer  together;  terrified  by  stones  and  blows,  they 
run  ashore,  and  lie  gasping  as  the  flood  recedes.  Then  begins 
the  work  of  death,  amid  the  loud  shouts  of  the  executioners  and 
the  furious  splashings  of  the  victims. 

THE    GRAMPUS. 

THE  ferocious  ore,  or  grampus,  is  the  tiger  of  the  Arctic  seas. 
Black  above,  white  beneath,  it  is  distinguished  by  its  large  dorsal 
fin,  which  curves  backward  toward  the  tail,  and  rises  to  the  height 
of  two  feet  or  more.  Measuring  no  less  than  twenty-five  feet  in 
length  and  twelve  or  thirteen  in  girth,  of  a  courage  equal  to  its 
strength,  and  armed  with  formidable  teeth,  thirty  in  each  jaw, 
the  grampus  is  the  dread  of  the  seals,  whom  it  overtakes  in  spite 
of  their  rapid  flight ;  and  the  whale  himself  would  consider  it  as 
his  most  formidable  enemy,  were  it  not  for  the  persecutions  of 
man.  The  grampus  generally  ploughs  the  seas  in  small  troops  of 
four  or  five,  following  each  other  in  close  single  file,  and  alter- 
nately disappearing  and  rising  so  as  to  resemble  the  undulatory 
motions  of  one  large  serpentine  animal.  In  summer  they  appear 
in  the  Greenland  seas,  and  the  seals  instantly  seek  refuge  from 
them  in  the  various  creeks  and  inner  harbors  ;  and  the  Esquimau 
hunter  in  his  frail  kyak,  when  he  sees  the  huge  pointed  dorsal 
fin  swiftly  cleaving  the  surface  of  the  Gea,  is  scarcely  less  anxious 
to  shun  such  dangerous  company. 

THE    ARCTIC    SHARK. 

THE  white,  or  basking  shark,  of  Polar  waters  is  an  animal  pos- 
sessing some  very  peculiar  habits,  and  is  said  to  be  absolutely 
insensible  to  pain.  Greenland  fishers  use  nets  to  take  even  the 
white  whale,  which  is  a  small  species,  and  these  nets  are  service- 
able also  to  capture  sharks,  though  they  are  principally  taken  by 
means  of  a  large  hook  adapted  to  the  purpose.  These  sharks  are 
caught  for  the  sake  of  their  livers,  which  yield  a  considerable 


1HE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


691 


quantity  of  oil,  and  a  valuable  substance  resembling  spermaceti 
may  be  expressed  from  their  bodies,  and  for  this  purpose  power- 
ful screw-presses  are  employed. 

In  early  winter  the  sharks  are  caught  with  hook  and  line 
through  holes  in  the  ice,  like  salmon,  for  which  the  Esquimau 
women  fish  so  industriously.  It  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to 
land  one  of  these  cetaceans,  for  they  are  sometimes  ten  feet  in 
length  and  of  corresponding  strength. 


ESQUIMAU  WOMAN    FISHING  THROUGH    THE  ICE. 

'  The  nets  set  for  white  whales  are  deftly  made  of  seal-skin  and 
attached  to  the  shore,  extending  off  at  right  angles,  so  as  to 
intercept  them  in  their  annual  southern  migration,  when  they 
swim  close  among  the  rocks  to  avoid  their  direst  foe,  the  grampus. 
When  the  white  whale  is  stopped  by  the  net  it  often  appears  at 
first  to  be  unconscious  of  the  fact,  and  continues  to  swim  against 
it,  affording  time  for  the  approach  of  a  boat  and  deadly  harpoon 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

from  behind.  If  entangled  in  the  net  a  short  time  suffices  to 
drown  them,  since  they  are  compelled  frequently  to  rise  to  the 
surface  to  breathe. 

It  is  on  the  carcasses  of  dead  whales  that  white  sharks  delight 
to  feed,  and  they  therefore  become  a  great  pest  to  the  Greenland 
fishers,  who  often  find  what  would  have  been  a  rich  haul,  if  left 
unmolested,  reduced  to  bones  by  the  sharks.  No  amount  of 
noise  or  beating  will  drive  these  sharks  from  their  feast,  and  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  kill  them  ;  a  large  knife  thrust  scores  of 
times  through  their  heads  seems  to  produce  no  more  effect  than 
like  thrusts  through  a  jelly  fish.  The  brain  is  so  extremely  small 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  find  ;  therefore  the  fishers  can  only  save 
their  captured  whales,  when  thus  attacked,  by  towing  the  vora- 
cious sharks  a  considerable  distance  away  from  the  nets. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

NATURAL   PHENOMENA    OF    THE    POLAR    REGIONS. 

LIKE  flowers  wasting  their  sweetness  on  desert  air,  so  do  the 
wonderful  beauties  of  nature  in  the  arctic  regions  display  them- 
selves in  inhabitless  space,  like  a  modest  virgin  who  blushes, 
though  not  without  pride,  at  her  own  reflected  image.  For,  in 
the  far  North,  where  even  echo  does  not  build  her  airy  haunt, 
there  are  such  gorgeous  splendors  as  would  wake  the  soul  of 
pessimism  and  thrill  the  hopeless  heart.  How  wantonly  nature 
luxuriates  in  her  charms  in  the  icy  regions,  as  if  jealous  of  their 
exhibition  in  populous  climates,  but  even  in  this  reserve  man 
discovers  her,  like  Diana  at  the  bath,  and  we  may,  therefore,. all 
read  about,  if  we  cannot  see,  the  wonderful  beauties  which  she 
shows  to  the  voiceless  and  insensate  polar  world. 

Nothing   can   exceed   the    magnificence   of  an    arctic    sunset 
clothing  the  snow-clad  mountains  and  the  skies  with  all  the  glories 
of  color,  or  be  more  serenely  beautiful  than  the  clear  star-light 
uight,  illumined  by  the  brilliant  moon,  which  for  days  continually 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


693 


circles  around  the  horizon,  never  setting  until  she  has  run  her 
long  course  of  brightness.  The  uniform  whiteness  of  the  land- 
scape and  the  general  transparency  of  the  atmosphere  add  to  the 
lustre  of  her  beams,  which  serve  the  natives  to  guide  their  no- 
madic life,  and  to  lead  them  to  their  hunting  grounds. 

But  of  all  the  magnificent  spectacles  that  relieve  the  monoto- 
nous gloom  of  the  Arctic  winter,  there  is  none  to  equal  the  magical 
beaut v  of  the  Aurora.  Night  covers  the  snow-clad  earth  ;  the 
stars  glimmer  feebly  through  the  haze  which  so  frequently  dims 


SERPENTINE  AURORA. 


their  brilliancy  in  the  high  latitudes,  when  suddenly  a  broad  and 
clear  bow  of  light  spans  the  horizon  in  the  direction  where  it  is 
traversed  by  the  magnetic  meridian.  This  bow  sometimes  re- 
mains for  several  hours,  heaving  or  waving  to  and  fro,  before  it 
sends  forth  streams  of  light  ascending  to  the  zenith.  Sometimes 
these  flashes  proceed  from  the  bow  of  light  alone  ;  at  others  they 
simultaneously  shoot  forth  from  many  opposite  parts  of  the 
horizon,  and  form  a  vast  sea  of  fire  whose  brilliant  waves  are 
continually  changing  their  positions.  Finally  they  all  unite  in  a 


f>94  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

magnificent  crown  or  cupola  of  light,  with  the  appearance  of  which 
the  phenomena  attains  its  highest  degree  of  splendor.  The  bril- 
liancy of  the  streams,  which  are  commonly  red  at  their  base,  green 
in  the  middle,  and  light  yellow  toward  the  zenith,  increases,  while 
at  the  same  time  they  dart  with  greater  vivacity  through  the  skies. 
The  colors  are  wonderfully  transparent,  the  red  approaching  to  a 
clear  blood-red,  the  green  to  a  pale  emerald  tint.  On  turning 
from  the  flaming  firmament  to  the  earth,  this  also  is  seen  to  glow 
with  a  magical  light.  The  dark  sea,  black  as  jet,  forms  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  white  snow-plain  or  the  distant  ice-mountain  ; 
all  the  outlines  tremble  as  if  they  belonged  to  the  unreal  world 
of  dreams.  The  imposing  silence  of  the  night  heightens  the 
charms  of  the  magnificent  spectacle. 

But  gradually  the  crown  fades,  the  bow  of  light  dissolves,  the 
streams  become  shorter,  less  frequent,  and  less  vivid  ;  and  finally 
the  gloom  of  winter  once  more  descends  upon  the  northern 
desert. 

The  aurora  varies  greatly  in  shape,  sometimes  assuming  a  ser- 
pentine form,  then  again  an  oval,  and  at  other  times  representing 
giant  lances  which  flash  with  a  splendor  almost  dazzling  to  behold. 
Not  frequently  it  may  be  seen  in  the  shape  of  an  arch  ;  some 
observers  sent  out  by  the  French  government  saw,  from  their 
station  in  Finland,  no  fewer  than  nine  arches,  separated  by  dark 
spaces  and  resembling  in  their  arrangement  magnificent  curtains 
of  light,  hung  behind  and  below  each  other,  their  brilliant  folds 
stretching  completely  across  the  sky. 

An  aurora  seen  on  the  night  of  October  18,  1864,  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  Capt.  Hall :  "At  10  p.  M.  I  went  out,  and  the  aurora 
was  spanning  the  azure  vault.  A  smart  breeze  from  the  north 
was  blowing  nearly  the  whole  night.  This  seemed  to  add  to  the 
briskness  of  the  merry  dancers  as  they  crossed  the  heavens  to  and 
fro.  An  hour  before,  the  sky  was  clear,  not  a  cloud  or  an  aurora 
ray  to  be  seen  ;  now,  a  belt  extended  across  the  heavens,  arch- 
like,  some  25°  above  the  horizon,  its  direction  being  from  south- 
east to  northwest.  I  watched  the  rising  arch.  Every  few  mo- 
ments gave  varied  and  magnificent  changes.  At  length  patches 


FHE  WORLD'S  WONDERS, 


695 


of  aurora  burst  forth  here  and  there.  Gradually  the  main  arch 
reached  the  zenith,  and  then  was  the  grand  part  of  the  scene. 
Much  of  what  was  before  in  perpendicular  rays  shot  athwart  and 
across  the  heavens  swiftly  like  a  river  of  molten  gold,  here  and 
there  forming  vast  whirlpools,  here  and  there  an  eddy,  here  and 
there  a  cataract  of  stupendous  fall.  When  above  my  head,  it 


WONDERFUL  AURORA   SEEN   BY  CAPT.   HALL. 

seemed  less  than  a  pistol-shot  distant.  Indeed,  it  was  near  by. 
When  I  moved  quickly,  running  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill  by  the 
igloo,  making  a  distance  of  less  than  50  fathoms,  the  arch  of  the 
aurora,  that  seemed  stationary  while  I  was  by  the  igloo  and  in 
transitu,  was  now  several  degrees  to  the  southwest  of  me.  I  re- 
turned as  quickly  to  the  igloo,  and  the  aurora  belt  was  directly 
overhead.  So  small  a  base,  with  so  palpable  a  change  in  the 


6%  THK  WORLD'S  WONDEKS. 

hearing  of  the  aurora,  proved  that  it  must  have  been  quite  close 
to  the  earth.  A  ball  of  tire  fell  during  the  display,  and  burst 
just  before  it  reached  the  earth,  throwing  out  prismatic  scintilla- 
tions in  every  direction." 

In  January,  1865,  Capt.  Hall  witnessed  another  aurora  even 
more  wonderful  than  the  one  above  described.  The  rays  of  this 
one  were  vertical  ;  it  appeared  all  alive,  as  if  in  high  glee, 
dancing  to  and  fro  with  almost  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  The 
three  belts  extending  from  southeast  to  northwest  were  the  most 
interesting,  as  they  often  flashed  into  the  brilliant  colors  of  the 
rainbow.  Each  belt  occasionally  resolved  itself  into  two  lines  or 
tiers  of  rays  ;  as  one  line  would  dance  rapidly  to  windward,  the 
other  would  dance  as  quickly  in  the  opposite  direction.  This 
extraordinary  display  lasted  five  minutes — an  unusual  time.  He 
was  so  impressed  with  it  that  he  wrote,  "  If  at  home  it  could  be 
witnessed  for  one  moment,  one  would  say,  '  I  never  saw  northern 
lights  before.'  " 

That  the  aurora  borealis  is  due  to  the  earth's  magnetism,  or  a 
surplus  charge  of  electricity,  is  most  generally  believed,  though 
the  conditions  and  result  are  not  clearly  understood.  Capt. 
McClintock  observed  in  the  Arctic  regions  that  the  aurora  was 
never  visible  above  ice  fields,  but  that  whenever  one  was  in  prog- 
ress the  light  appeared  always  to  be  gathered  over  the  open  water. 
Water  being  an  excellent  conductor  of  electricity,  while  ice  is  a 
non-conductor,  we  may  infer  that  the  peculiarity  observed  by 
McClintock  was  due  to  this  difference  in  the  conducting  powers 
of  ice  and  water. 

It  is  held  by  some  that  the  aurora  is  due  to  electrical  discharges 
from  the  earth.  Through  some  cause  the  earth,  regarded  as  a 
vast  magnet,  becomes  overcharged  with  electrical  energy,  and  it 
is  as  this  energy  is  gradually  dissipated  that  the  splendors  of  the 
aurora  are  displayed.  Prof.  Olmstead,  however,  assigns  to  the 
aurora  an  interplanetary  origin.  "The  nebuluous  matter,"  he 
reasoned,  "  like  that  which  furnishes  the  material  of  the  meteoric 
showers  or  the  zodiacal  light,  and  is  known  to  exist  in  the  inter- 
planetary spaces,  is  probably  the  cause  of  the  auroral  display. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  697 

The  periodical  return  of  the  phenomena  indicates  such  a  position  ; 
so,  too,  its  rapid  motion,  which  exceeds  that  of  light  or  elec- 
tricity, and  the  extent  of  surface  over  which  the  phenomena  is 
seen  at  the  same  time." 

Mock  moons  and  paraselense,  which  are  a  rare  sight  even  in  the 
Arctic  zone,  are  due  to  electrical  disturbance  of  a  misty  atmos- 
phere. The  paraselenes  are  luminous  rings  surrounding  the  moon, 
and  are  multiplied  by  refraction  until  three,  and  sometimes  even 
four,  circles  are  seen  impinging  one  another.  Within  the  centre 
of  each  circle  the  moon  appears,  from  which  radiates  four  spears 
of  light,  light  spokes  to  a  wheel,  and  at  the  points  where  the 
spears  touch  the  circle  a  mock  moon  is  seen,  thus  affording  at 
once  a  novel  and  beautiful  view. 

COLORED    SNOW. 

THERE  is  almost  perpetual  snow  in  the  Polar  regions,  but  it 
does  not  fall  to  such  great  depth  there  as  in  the  North  Temperate 
zone.  But  the  most  striking  peculiarity  in  the  fall  of  snow 
within  the  Arctic  circle,  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  often  deeply 
colored,  green,  red,  yellow  and  black,  red  being  the  color  most 
commonly  seen.  The  black  color  is  produced  by  the  snow  being 
impregnated  with  a  dust  of  carbon  and  iron,  either  from  the 
eruptions  of  volcanoes  or  from  meteors.  The  other  colors  are 
due  to  the  presence  of  microscopic  organisms,  described  by  Dr. 
Wollaston  as  minute  spherical  globules,  having  a  transparent  cov- 
ering, and  divided  into  seven  or  eight  cells,  filled  with  a  red  oily- 
like  liquid,  insoluble  in  water.  Girodchantraus  describes  these 
as  plants,  while  Bauer  demonstrated  that  they  are  a  fungous 
growth.  Robert  Brown  says  they  are  algose,  water  plants  or  sea- 
weeds. Recent  investigation  confirms  the  theory  that  these  colors 
are  produced  bv  vegetable  growth,  and  that  the  several  colors 
are  due  to  the  ripening  stages  of  the  algoae.  Ehrenburg  main- 
tains that  red  snow  receives  its  coloring  not  only  from  vegetable 
spores,  but  from  an  animalcule  also,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
Philodina  roseola. 


698  THK    WORT,D*S    WONDERS. 

ICEBERGS    AND    WOXDKKFUL    ICE    FORMATIONS. 

THE  Arctic  world  is  full  of  pulseless  wonders,  staid  and  insen- 
sate things  of  nature,  which  move  upon  the  waters  with  a  majesty 
awesome  and  grand.  Ice  is  king  in  this  frosty  realm,  and  he 
gives  strange  evidences  of  his  mighty  power.  More  dangerous 
than  hidden  shoals  and  sunken  cliffs  to  the  navigator  are  the 
floating  islands  of  ice  which  swing  about  and  grind  one  another, 
or  break  up  and  fall  with  a  force  that  will  crush  any  ship.  Arctic 
navigators  have  given  various  names  to  these  movable  shoals, 
which  are  the  cause  of  so  much  delay  and  danger.  They  are 
icebergs  when  they  tower  to  a  considerable  height  above  the 
waters,  and  ice-fields  when  they  have  a  vast  horizontal  extension. 
A  floe  is  a  detached  portion  of  a  field  ;  pack-ice,  a  large  area  of 
floes  or  smaller  fragments  closely  driven  together  so  as  to  oppose 
a  firm  barrier  to  the  progress  of  a  ship  ;  and  drift-ice,  loose  ice 
in  motion,  but  not  so  firmly  packed  as  to  prevent  a  vessel  from 
making  her  way  through  its  yielding  masses. 

The  large  ice-fields  which  the  whaler  encounters  in  Baffin's 
Bay,  or  on  the  seas  between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  consti- 
tute one  of  the  marvels  of  the  deep.  There  is  a  solemn  grandeur 
in  the  slow,  majestic  motion  with  which  they  are  drifted  by  the 
current  to  the  south  ;  and  their  enormous  masses,  as  mile  after 
mile  comes  floating  by,  impress  the  spectator  with  the  idea  of  a 
boundless  extent  and  an  irresistible  power.  But,  vast  and  mighty 
as  they  are,  they  are  unable  to  withstand  the  elements  combined 
for  their  destruction,  and  their  apparently  triumphal  march  leads 
them  only  to  their  ruin. 

When  they  first  descend  from  their  northern  strongholds,  the 
ice  of  which  they  are  composed  is  of  the  average  thickness  of 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet,  and  their  surface  is  sometimes  tolerably 
smooth  and  even,  but  in  general  it  is  covered  with  numberless 
ice-blocks,  or  hummocks,  piled  upon  each  other  in  wild  confu- 
sion to  a  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  the  result  of  repeated  col- 
lisions before  flakes  and  floes  were  soldered  into  fields.  Before 
the  end  of  June  they  are  covered  with  snow,  sometimes  six  feet 


THK   WORLD'S   WONDERS.  <![)<) 

deep,  which,  melting  during  the  summer,  forms  small  ponds  or 
lakes  upon  their  surface. 

Frequently  ice-fields  are  whirled  about  in  a  rotary  motion, 
which  causes  their  circumference  to  gyrate  with  a  velocity  of 
several  miles  per  hour.  When  a  field,  thus  sweeping  through  the 
waters,  comes  into  collision  with  another  which  may  possibly  be 
revolving  with  equal  rapidity  in  an  opposite  direction — when 
masses  often  twenty  or  thirty  miles  in  diameter,  and  each  weigh- 
ing many  millions  of.  tons,  clash  together — imagination  can  hardly 
conceive  a  more  appalling  scene.  The  whalers  at  all  times  require 
unremitting  vigilance  to  secure  their  safety,  but  scarcely  in  any 
situation  so  much  as  when  navigating  amidst  these  fields,  which 
are  more  particularly  dangerous  in  foggy  weather,  as  their 
motions  cannot  then  be  distinctly  observed.  No  wonder  that 
since  the  establishment  of  the  fishery  numbers  of  vessels  have 
been  crushed  to  pieces  between  two  fields  in  motion,  for  the 
strongest  ship  ever  built  must  needs  be  utterly  unable  to  resist 
their  power.  Some  have  been  uplifted  and  thrown  upon  the  ice  ; 
some  have  had  their  hulls  completely  torn  open  ;  and  others  have 
been  over-run  by  the  ice,  and  buried  beneath  the  fragments  piled 
upon  their  wreck. 

The  icebergs,  which,  as  their  name  indicates,  rise  above  the 
water  to  a  much  more  considerable  height  than  the  ice-fields, 
have  a  very  different  origin,  as  they  are  not  formed  in  the  sea 
itself,  but  by  the  glaciers  of  the  northern  highlands.  As  our 
rivers  are  continually  pouring  their  streams  into  the  ocean,  so 
many  of  the  glaciers  or  ice-rivers  of  the  Arctic  zone,  descending 
to  the  water-edge,  are  slowly  but  constantly  forcing  themselves 
farther  and  farther  into  the  sea.  In  the  summer  season,  when 
the  ice  is  particularly  fragile,  the  force  of  cohesion  is  often  over- 
come by  the  weight  of  the  prodigious  masses  that  overhang  the 
sea  or  have  been  undermined  by  its  waters  ;  and  in  the  winter, 
when  the  air  is  probably  40°  or  50°  below  zero,  and  the  sea  from 
28°  to  30°  above,  the  unequal  expansion  of  those  parts  of  the 
mass  exposed  to  so  great  a  difference  of  temperature  cannot  fail 
to  produce  the  separation  of  large  portions.  This  is  the  gener- 


700 


WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


ally-accepted  theory  as  to  the  manner  in  which  icebergs  are  formed. 

Most  of  these  swimming  fragments,  or  icebergs,  are  formed 

on  the  mountainous  west  coast  of  Greenland,  by  the  large  gla- 


ciers which  discharge  themselves  into  the  fiords  from  Smith' e 
Sound  to  Disco  Bay,  as  here  the  sea  is  sufficiently  deep  to  floal 
*hera  away,  in  spite  of  the  enormous  magnitude  they  frequentl} 
5Uain. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  701 

Capt.  Ross,  in  his  first  voyage,  mentions  one  of  these  wrecked 
bergs,  which  was  found  to  be  4,169  yards  long,  3,(>.SO  yards 
broad,  and  51  feet  high  above  the  level  of  the  sen.  It  was 
aground  in  61  fathoms,  and  its  weight  was  estimated  by;ni  officer 
of  the  Alexander  at  1,292,397,673  tons.  On  ascending  the  flat 
top  of  this  iceberg,  it  was  found  occupied  by  a  huge  white  bear, 
who  justly  deeming  "  discretion  the  best  part  of  valor,"  sprang 
into  the  sea  before  he  could  be  fired  at. 

The  vast  dimensions  ot  the  icebergs  appear  less  astonishing 
when  we  consider  that  many  of  the  glaciers  or  ice-rivers  from 
which  they  are  dislodged  are  equal  in  size  or  volume  to  the  largest 
streams  of  continental  Europe. 

In  a  high  sea  the  waves  beat  against  an  iceberg  as  against  a 
rock  ;  and  in  calm  weather  where  there  is  a  swell,  the  noise  made 
by  their  rising  and  falling  is  tremendous.  Their  usual  form  is 
that  of  a  high  vertical  wall,  gradually  sloping  down  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  which  is  very  low  ;  but  frequently  they  exhibit  the  most 
fantastic  shapes,  particularly  after  they  have  been  a  long  time 
exposed  to  the  corroding  power  of  the  waves,  or  of  warm  rains 
pelting  them  from  above. 

A  number  of  icebergs  floating  in  the  sea  is  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  spectacles  of  nature,  but  the  wonderful  beauty  of 
these  crystal  cliffs  never  appears  to  greater  advantage  than  when 
clothed  by  the  midnight  sun  with  all  the  splendid  colors  of  twi- 
light. 

"The  bergs,"  says  Dr.  Hayes,  describing  one  of  these  en- 
chanting sights,  "had  wholly  lost  their  chilly  aspect,  and  glit- 
terino1  in  the  blaze  of  the  brilliant  heavens,  seemed  in  the  distance 

O 

like  masses  of  burnished  metal  or  solid  flame.  Nearer  at  hand 
they  were  huge  blocks  of  Parian  marble  inlaid  with  mammoth 
gems  of  pearl  and  opal.  One  in  particular  exhibited  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  grand.  Its  form  was  not  unlike  that  of  the  Colos- 
seum, and  it  lay  so  far  away  that  half  its  height  was  buried  be- 
neath the  line  of  blood-red  waters.  The  sun,  slowly  rolling  along 
the  horizon,  passed  behind  it,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  old  Roman 
ruins  had  suddenly  taken  fire.  In  the  shadow  of  the  bergs  the 


702 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


water  was  a  rich  green,  and  nothing  could  be  more  soft  and  ten- 
del  than  the  gradations  of  color  made  by  the  sea  shoaling  on  the 
sloping  tongue  of  a  berg  close  beside  us.  The  tint  increased  in 


intensity  where  the  ice  overhung  the  water,  and  a  deep  cavern 
near  by  exhibited  the  solid  color  of  the  malachite  mingled  with 
the  transparency  of  the  emerald,  while  in  strange  contrast  a 
broad  streak  of  cobalt  blue  rau  diagonally  through  its  body.  The 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  703 

bewitching  character  of  the  scene  was  heightened  by  a  thousand 
little  cascades  which  leaped  into  the  sea  from  these  floating 
masses,  the  water  being  discharged  from  lakes  of  melted  snow 
and  ice  which  reposed  in  quietude  far  up  in  the  valleys  separating 
the  high  icy  hills  of  their  upper  surface.  From  other  bergs  large 
pieces  were  now  and  then  detached,  plunging  down  into  the  water 
with  deafening  noise,  while  the  slow-moving  swell  of  the  ocean 
resounded  through  their  broken  archways." 

A  similar  gorgeous  spectacle  was  witnessed  by  Dr.  Kane  in 
Melville  Bay.  The  midnight  sun  came  out  over  a  great  berg, 
kindling  variously-colored  fires  on  every  part  of  its  surface,  and! 
making  the  ice  around  the  ship  one  great  resplendency  of  gem- 
work,  blazing  carbuncles  and  rubies,  and  molten  gold.  These  are 
the  beauties  of  the  iceberg,  but  it  has  its  terrible  features  as 
well.  On  one  occasion  Kane  was  beset  by  a  heavy  squall,  which 
gave  him  no  small  concern  for  the  safety  of  his  vessel,  which 
was  threatened  by  the  heavy  floes  blowing  off  shore  and  promising 
to  nip  him  if  shelter  was  not  soon  reached.  As  a  measure  of 
protection  he  resolved  to  fasten  to  an  iceberg,  which  he  was  only 
able  to  do  after  hard  labor  of  eight  hours.  His  crew  had  hardly 
time  for  a  breathing  spell  before  they  were  startled  by  loud 
crackling  sounds  above  them,  and  small  fragments  of  ice,  not 
larger  than  a  walnut,  began  to  disturb  the  water  like  the  first 
drops  of  a  summer  shower.  The  indications  were  unmistakable, 
and  they  had  barely  time  to  cast  off  before  the  face  of  the  berg 
fell  in  ruins,  crashing  with  a  roar  like  artillery. 

AN    ORIGINAL   THEORY   RESPECTING    ICEBERGS. 

ICEBERGS  are  all  composed  of  fresh  water,  which  arctic  discov- 
erers declare,  and  no  doubt  very  properly,  and  are  made  by 
gradual  freezing  accretions  from  great  rivers  which  pour  out  their 
water  over  precipices,  as  already  explained.  But  a  very  strange 
fact  is  worthy  of  consideration  in  this  connection,  viz:  that  the 
frequent  freezing  of  salt  water  produces  fresh  water. 

McClintock,  during  his  voyage  in  search  of  the  Franklin  party, 
discovered  this  singular  phenomenon.  A  portion  of  his  diary 

;  "By  my  desire  Dv,  Walker  is  occupied  in  making  every 


704  THE  WORLD'S  \VONDKRS. 

possible  experiment  upon  the  freezing  of  saltwater;  the- first 
crop  of  ice  is  salt,  the  second  less  so,  the  third  produces  drink- 
able water,  and  the  fourth  is  fresh.  Frosty  efflorescence  appears 
upon  ice  formed  at  low  temperatures  in  calm  weather — it  is  brine 
expressed  by  the  act  of  freezing." 

Is  it  not  possible  that  the  commonly-accepted  theory  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  icebergs  are  formed,  is  false?  If  repeated  con- 
gelation destroys  the  saline  crystallization  of  sea  water,  may  not 
a  similar  chemical  decomposition  take  place  under  continuous 
congealment?  The  rivers  of  Greenland,  to  whose  debouchement 
the  formation  of  icebergs  is  ascribed,  are  yet  to  be  discovered, 
though  the  point  of  apparent  iceberg  formation  has  been  visited. 
It  is  an  open  question  yet  whether  these  ice-mountains  are  not 
created  under  atmospheric  influence.  If,  as  seems  to  be  well 
proved,  there  is  a  comparatively  warm  climate  prevailing  about 
the  poles,  the  proximity  of  excessive  cold  and  warm  currents 
would  be  productive  of  the  most  violent  paroxysms  of  the  air, 
such  as  cyclones,  waterspouts,  etc.  These  might  suck  up  vast 
quantities  of  sea  water,  which  would  be  precipitated  again  at 
certain  points,  like  the  vapor  of  the  gulf-stream,  which  condenses 
and  falls  over  England  because  it  there  first  meets  with  a  counter 
cold  current.  If  this  uplifted  water,  now  vaporized,  should 
strike  against  the  mountain  barriers  along  the  Greenland  coast, 
it  would  certainly  be  precipitated  in  the  form  of  rain,  and  meeting 
with  an  intensely  cold  atmosphere,  would  congeal  as  it  gradually 
fell  thus  building  up  great  peaks  of  fresh  water  ice  just  as  we  see 
them.  This  theory  might  extend  further  with  perfect  consistency, 
to  account  for  icebergs  of  fresh  water  by  repeated  congelation, 
for  it  is  plausible  to  assume  that  there  are  air-stratas  of  hot  and 
cold  at  altitudes  above  the  poles,  passing  through  which  the  sea 
water  would  alternate  from  rain  to  hail  until  the  chemical  change 
to  fresh  water  is  complete.  Not  infrequently  icebergs,  or  rather 
glaciers,  form  in  the  interior  of  Greenland,  and  always  at  the; 
feet  of  mountains  or  slopes  to  the  sea  ;  after  reaching  a  certain 
Mze,  gravity  causes  them  to  break  loose  and  sweep  into  the  sea, 
cnirving  with  them  great  boulders,  driftwood,  or  anything  in 
their  path. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  705 

This  theory,  which  I  have  the  boldness  to  present,  is  merely  an 
individual's  speculation,  and  does  not  claim  to  be  the  results  of 
any  extended  research  or  special  study  of  the  subject ;  it  is  given 
only  for  what  it  is  worth. 

THE     ICE-BLINK. 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  phenomena  of  the  Polar  Sea  is  the 
ice-blink,  or  reflection  of  the  ice  against  the  sky.  A  stripe  of 
light,  similar  to  the  early  dawn  of  morning,  but  without  its  red- 
ness, appears  above  the  horizon,  and  traces  a  complete  aerial 
map  of  the  ice  to  a  distance  of  many  miles  beyond  the  ordinary 
reach  of  vision.  To  the  experienced  navigator  the  "  blink  "  is 
frequently  of  the  greatest  use,  as  it  not  only  points  out  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  drift-ice,  but  indicates  its  nature,  whether  compact 
or  loose,  continuous  or  open.  Thus  Scoresby  relates  that  on  the 
7th  of  June,  1821,  he  saw  so  distinct  an  ice-blink,  that  as  far  as 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  all  round  the  horizon  he  was  able  to  ascer- 
tain the  figure  and  probable  extent  of  each  ice-field.  The  packed 
ice  was  distinguished  from  the  larger  fields  by  a  more  obscure 
and  yellow  color ;  while  each  water-lane  or  open  passage  was  in- 
dicated by  a  deep  blue  stripe  or  patch.  By  this  means  he  was 
enabled  to  find  his  way  out  of  the  vast  masses  of  ice  in  which 
he  had  been  detained  for  several  days,  and  to  emerge  into  the 
open  sea. 

On  sunny  days,  the  strong  contrasts  of  light  and  shade  be- 
tween the  glistening  snow  and  the  dark  protruding  rocks  produce 
a  remarkable  deception  in  the  apparent  distance  of  the  land, 
along  a  steep  mountainous  coast.  When  at  the  distance  of  twenty 
miles  from  Spitzbergen,  for  instance,  it  would  be  easy  to  induce 
even  a  judicious  stranger  tc  undertake  a  passage  in  a  boat  to  the 
shore,  from  a  belief  that  he  was  within  a  league  of  the  land.  At 
this  distance  the  portions  of  rock  and  patches  of  snow,  as  well  as 
the  contour  of  the  different  hills,  are  as  distinctly  marked  a.s 
similar  objects  in  many  other  countries,  not  having  snow  about 
them,  would  be  at  a  fourth  or  a  fifth  part  of  the  distance.  A 
ship's  top-gallant  mast,  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  leagiu-s, 
may  be  discerned  when  just  appearing  above  the  horizon  with  a 
45 


^Ofi  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

common  perspective-glass,  and  the  summits  of  mountains  are 
visible  at  the  distance  of  from  sixty  to  a  hundred  miles. 

MIRAGE. 

NOTHING  can  be  more  wonderful  than  the  phenomena  of  the 
atmosphere,  dependent  upon  reflection  and  refraction,  which  are 
frequently  observed  in  the  Arctic  seas.  They  are  probably  occa- 
sioned by  the  commixture  of  two  currents  of  air  of  different 
temperature,  so  as  to  create  an  irregular  deposition  of  imper- 
fectly condensed  vapor,  which,  when  passing  the  verge  of  the 
horizon,  apparently  raises  the  objects  there  situated  to  a  consid- 
erable distance  above  't,  or  extends  their  height  beyond  their 
natural  dimensions.  Ice,  land,  ships,  boats,  and  other  objects, 
when  thus  enlarged  and  elevated,  are  said  to  loom.  The  lower 
portions  of  looming  objects  are  sometimes  connected  with  the 
horizon  by  an  apparent  fibrous  or  columnar  extension  of  their 
parts  ;  at  other  times  they  appear  to  be  quite  lifted  into  the  air, 
a  void  space  being  seen  between  them  and  the  horizon. 

A  most  remarkable  delusion  of  this  kind  was  observed  by 
Scoresby  while  sailing  through  the  open  ice,  far  from  land.  Sud- 
denly an  immense  amphitheater,  inclosed  by  high  walls  of  basaltic 
ice,  so  like  natural  rock  as  to  deceive  one  of  his  most  experi- 
enced officers,  rose  around  the  ship.  Sometimes  the  refraction 
produced  on  all  sides  a  similar  effect,  but  still  more  frequently 
remarkable  contrasts.  Single  ice-blocks  expanded  into  architec- 
tural figures  of  an  extraordinary  height,  and  sometimes  the  dis- 
tant, deeply-indented  ice-border  looked  like  a  number  of  towers 
or  minarets,  or  like  a  dense  forest  of  naked  trees.  Scarcely  had 
an  object  acquired  a  distinct  form,  when  it  began  to  dissolve  into 
another. 

It  is  well  known  that  similar  causes  produce  similar  effects  in 
the  warmer  regions  of  the  earth.  In  the  midst  of  the  tropical 
ocean  the  mariner  sees  verdent  islands  rise  from  the  waters,  and 
in  the  treeless  desert  fantastic  palm-groves  wave  their  fronds,  as 
if  in  mockery  of  the  thirsty  caravan. 


v  THE    WORLD'S    WONDERS.  707 

WONDJ5EFUL    ADVENTURES    ON    ICE    FLOES. 

DANGERS  arising  from  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  which  gathers 
at  the  hore  for  miles  seaward,  are  somtimes  very  great.  In 
traveling  in  the  Arctic  regions  it  is  necessary  to  pass  over  im- 
mense tracts  of  ice,  and  thus  the  danger  of  being  carried  adrift 
on  detached  fields,  called  floes,  is  ever  present.  Kane  had  sev- 
eral narrow  escapes  from  such  accident  ,  one  of  which  he  records 
as  having  taken  place  at  a  north-east  headland  named  Cape  Wil- 
liam Ford.  While  far  from  the  mainland  the  spring  tides  began 
breaking  up  great  areas  of  ice  around  him,  which  compelled  him 
1o  flee  toward  the  shore  to  avoid  being  carried  out  to  sea  and 
possible  starvation.  As  he  sped  over  the  ice,  his  sledge  was  inter- 
rupted frequently  by  fissures,  now  breaking  in  every  direction, 
over  which  it  required  the  boldest  effort  to  pass,  and  especially 
\o  draw  the  laden  sledge  which  contained  their  stores.  Had  the 
sledge  been  abandoned  it  would  have  been  lost  forever,  and  in 
case  escape  to  shore  were  cut  off,  starvation  was  certain  ;  hence 
they  necessarily  drew  the  sledge  with  them,  though  it  diminished 
their  chances  of  reaching  land.  The  forced  journey  was  full  of 
perils  and  hardships,  during  which  the  men  frequently  fell  into 
the  water,  and  had  to  be  rescued  at  the  imminent  risk  of  life  • 
the  thermometer  was  30°  below  zero,  and  their  clothes  of  seal 
and  bear  skin  froze  so  hard  as  to  almost  prevent  the  exercise  of 
their  limbs.  However,  by  extra  good  fortune,  they  gained  the 
shore,  but  were  so  benumbed  by  the  cold  that  it  was  impossible 
to  raise  a  tent.  It  chanced  that  there  was  no  wind,  and  a  fire  of 
seal  oil  was  started,  by  which  they  dried  their  clothes  and  sleep- 
in«--bafs,  which  restored  them  to  a  measure  of  comfort  and 

O  D    ' 

enabled  them  to  reach  the  brig. 

But  the  most  remarkable  adventure  that  ever  befell  anyone 
cast  adrift  on  an  ice-floe,  happened  to  Capt.  Geo.  E.  Tyson  and 
l!ie  following  eighteen  members  of  the  Polaris  expedition  : 
Frederick  Meyers,  meteorologist  ;  John  Herron,  steward  ;  Wil- 
liam Jackson,  cook.  Seamen:  J.  W.  C.  Kruger  (called  Robert), 
Fred.  Jamka,  William  Lindermami,  Fred.  Anthing,  Gus.  Lind- 
quist,  Peter  Johnson.  Esquimaux:  Joe,  Hannah  (Joe's  wife j, 


708 


THE  ^WORLD' ^WONDERS. 


1'HP.  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  709 

Puney  (child),  Hans..  Merkut  or  Christiana  (Han's  wife),  Augus- 
tina,  Tobias,  Succi  (children),  Charley  Polaris  (baby  of  Hans). 
The  Polaris  sailed  firm  the  Brooklyn  navy  y  aid  June  29, 1871, 
in  command  of  Capt.  C.  E.  Hall,  whose  consuming  ambition  had 
been,  for  many  years,  to  reach  the  North  Pole.  The  Polaris 
was  housed  in  winter  quarters  at  Thank  God  Harbor,  Hall  intend- 
ing to  proceed  from  there  by  sledge  toward  the  North.  About 
the  1st  of  November,  however,  he  fell  sick  of  a  strange  malady — 
some  say  poison — and  on  the  8th  died  in  great  agony.  He  was 
buried,  wrapped  in  the  national  colors,  in  a  shallow  grave,  dug 
only  by  great  labor  in  the  hard,  frozen  earth.  Capt.  S.  O.  Bud- 
dington,  who  had  been  acting  as  sailing  and  ice-master,  succeeded 
to  the  command.  Immediately  upon  assuming  charge  of  the 
expedition,  Capt  Buddington  abandoned  every  effort  to  carry 
out  the  objects  for  which  it  was  dispatched,  and  awaited,  with 
much  impatience,  the  coming  of  spring  and  the  breaking  tip  of 
the  ice,  that  he  might  return  to  the  United  States.  Capt.  Tyson 
begged  Buddington  to  remain,  or  bold  the  Polaris  until  he  could 
himself  make  a  sledge  journey  to  the  north.  This  was  refused 
upon  the  most  unjustifiable  grounds,  and  on  July  25,  1872,  the 
season  being  very  late,  there  was  a  break-up  in  the  ice  sufficient 
to  allow  them  to  sail,  bat  being  in  a  bay  the  ice  was  found  thirl; 
at  the  mouth,  and  the  ship  was  soon  so  beset  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  anchor  to  a  floe,  in  latitude  80°  2'  N.  They  now  drifted 
helplessly  until  October  15th,  when  there  was  so  much  danger 
from  being  nipped  and  the  vessel  crushed,  that  a  considerable 
quantity  of  provisions  was  thrown  off  the  steamer  onto  the  ic-e 
as  a  precaution.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  all 
hands  were  at  work  throwing  off  packages,  as  the  vessel  was 
already  leaking  badly,  and  her  timbers  were  cracking  under  the 
great  pressure  of  ice  about  her.  Suddenly,  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  while  a  gale  was  blowing,  the  vessel  was  released  and 
blown  out  to  sea,  through  a  large  rift,  giving  no  one  time  to  antici- 
pate such  an  accident ;  thus  several  were  left  on  broken  bi*»  of 
ice  struggling  for  their  lives,  while  others  were  on  the  main  flo*,. 


710 


THE 


wondering  what  bad  become  of  tbe  vessel,  which  some  thought 
had  sunk,  so  suddenly  did  she  disappear  in  the  darkness. 

Fortunately,  two  boats  were  left  on  the  floe,  and  with  these, 
when  morning  came,  those  on  the  small  ice  were  rescued,  and 
then  the  long  drifting  on  a  shelterless  shore  of  ice  began.  They 
looked  in  vain  for  the  Polaris  to  return  to  them,  but  she  had  been 
irresistibly  carried  away  tp  the  shore  of  Greenland,  as  already 
related  in  the  summary  of  Arctic  voyages. 

The  floe  upon  which  Tyson  and  his  party  were  now  floating 


HUTS  ON  THE  ICE-FLOE. 


was  four  miles  in  circumference,  nearly  circular,  and  was  full  of 
hillocks  and  small  lakes  of  fresh  water,  which  had  been  formed 
by  the  melting  of  ice  during  the  short  summer.  To  feed  his 
eighteen  men,  women  and  children,  Capt.  Tyson  had  only  four- 
teen cans  of  pemmican,  eleven  and  a-half  bags  of  bread,  one 
can  of  dried  apples,  and  fourteen  hams.  On  the  following  day 
this  large  floe  broke  in  two,  separating  the  party  from  one  of 
their  boats  and  six  bags  of  bread  of  their  original  store  of  pro- 
visions. They  were  now  on  a  piece  of  iee  not  more  than  five 


T11K    MOULD'S    WOXDEKS.  711 

hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  this  was  gradually  lessening  from 
grinding  with  other  ice.  Tyson  now  appointed  hunters,  as  it 
was  possible  to  kill  seals,  which  were  their  only  hope  of  escape 
from  starvation  ;  these  would  furnish  warm  food  and  blubber-oil 
to  cook  with.  Three  seals  were  killed  October  18th,  and  on  the 
21st  the  lost  boat  and  provisions  were  recovered.  Igloos  (huts 
built  of  ice-blocks)  were  made  sufficiently  large  to  accommodate 
half  the  party,  by  packing  them  in  like  herrings,  while  the  other 
half  had  to  be  content  with  their  skins  and  sleeping  bags,  though 
the  comforts  were  shared  in  turn.  They  had  a  lamp  with  them, 
which  was  extraordinary  good  fortune,  for  by  it  they  were  ena- 
bled to  warm  their  quarters  and  cook  their  food,  though  it  was 
not  one  of  the  most  serviceable  lamps  which  the  Esquimaux  use. 

The  ordinary  lamp  in  use  among  the  natives  is  made  out  of  a 
soft  kind  of  stone,  indigenous  to  the  country  ;  it  is  hollowed  out 
like  a  shallow  dish,  with  an  inverted  edge,  on  which  they  place 
a  little  moss  for  wicking,  which,  when  lighted,  sucks  up  the  oil 
from  the  blubber  ;  and  this  is  all  the  fire  they  have  in  their  cold 
country,  either  for  heating  their  huts  or  for  cooking.  To  dry 
then  clothing,  they  put  them  in  nets  suspended  over  the  lamp. 

As  dav  after  day  went  by  without  killing  any  more  seals,  pro- 
visions ran  so  low  that  Tyson  had  to  establish  a  daily  allowance, 
which  he  doled  out  at  the  rate  of  eleven  ounces  of  meat  for  each 
grown  person,  and  half  that  amount  to  each  child,  ("apt.  Tyson 
£1  ves  a  sad  picture  of  their  sufferings  during  this  period,  on  the 
occasion  of  a  visit  to  the  hut  occupied  by  Hans  and  his  family. 
He  says : 

"On  going  into  Hans'  hut  the  other  day,  to  see  thesick  boy,  the 
miserable  group  of  children  made  me  sad  at  heart.  The  mother 
was  trying  to  pick  a  few  scraps  of  'tried-out'  blubber  out  of 
their  lamp,  to  give  to  the  crying  children.  Augustina  is  almost 
as  large  as  her  mother,  and  is  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old.  She 
is  naturally  a  fat,  heavy-built  girl,  but  she  looks  peaked  enough 
now.  Tobias  is  in  her  lap,  or  partly  so,  his  head  resting  on  her 
as  she  sits  on  the  ground,  with  a  skin  drawn  over  her.  She 
seemed  to  have  a  little  scrap  of  something  she  was  chewing  on, 


712 


THK    WORLD  8    WONDKRS. 


though  I  could  not  see  that  she  swallowed  anything.  The  little 
girl,  Succi,  about  four  years  old,  was  crying — a  kind  of  chronic 
hunger  whine — and  I  could  just  see  the  baby's  head  in  the  mother's 
hood,  or  capote.  The  babies  have  no  clothing  whatever,  and  are 
carried  about  in  this  hood,  which  hangs  down  the  mother's  back, 
like  young  kangaroos  in  the  maternal  pouch,  only  on  the  reversed 
side  of  the  body.  All  I  could  do  was  to  encourage  them  a  little. 
I  had  nothing  that  I  could  give  them  to  make  them  any  more  com- 
fortable. I  was  glad,  at  least,  to  see  that  they  had  some  oil  left." 
Two  of  their  nine  dogs  were  at  length  killed  and  eaten  by  the 


ESQUIMAU  JOE  GOING  FOR  THE  SEAL. 

now  starving  party,  who  were  left  in  a  yet  more  abject  state  by 
the  exhaustion  of  their  originally  small  stock  of  blubber-oil, 
which  was  needed  for  warmth,  light,  and  cooking  purposes.  The 
long,  brooding  darkness  of  Arctic  night  was  upon  them,  when 
only  during  high-noon  time  was  there  even  a  short  twilight,  ren- 
dering objects  dimly  visible.  Drifting  away  in  the  darkness, 
without  food,  light  or  fuel,  exposed  to  a  constantly-freezing  tem- 
perature, their  condition  was  most  pitiable. 

November  21st,  three  seals  were  killed,  and  so  ravenously  hun- 
gry were  the  men  that  they  ate  them  raw,  skin,  hair,  and  all. 
This  lucky  stroke  of  the  hunters  was  a  God-send  to  the  people, 


THE  WORLD'S  AVOM>EUS.  713 

who  were  upon  the  point  of  succumbing  to  starvation.  But  there 
was  another  long  spell  of  fasting  to  follow,  broken  on  December 
29th  by  another  seal,  which,  being  small,  was  eaten  raw  at  one 
meal,  including  the  skin  and  intestines.  No  more  seals  were 
killed  for  so  long  a  time  that  all  but  two  of  the  doo-s  were 

*"""  © 

slaughtered  and  devoured.  After  an  absence  of  eighty-three 
days  the  sun  reappeared,  and  though  it  brought  little  warmth,  its 
rays  cheered  anew  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  starving  and  half- 
frozen  party. 

One  day  in  February,  after  the  appearance  of  the  sun,  Esqui- 
mau Joe  discovered  a  seal  on  some  young  ice  near  the  wretched 
camp.  The  ice  had  been  formed  during  the  night,  and  was  not 
strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man  while  remaining  sta- 
tionary, and  yet  too  thick  to  force  a  boat  through.  It  was  a 
dangerous  experiment,  but  Joe  decided  to  make  an  effort  to 
capture  the  seal.  Seating  himself  in  his  kyack,  two  of  the  men 
gave  him  a  vigorous  push  from  the  floe,  and  he  went  skimmin" 

o  a  »  o 

over  the  smooth  ice  toward  the  seal,  like  a  boy  on  his  sled.  The 
seal  was  asleep,  and  allowed  the  boat  to  glide  close  to  him,  when 
Joe  quickly  dispatched  it  with  his  harpoon.  But  the  most  dan- 
gerous part  of  the  adventure  was  yet  to  be  performed,  for  if  the 
kyack  -liould  break  through  the  thin  ice  it  would  be  impossible 
to  get  it  out  or  to  walk  back  to  the  floe  ;  but  by  skillful  manage- 
ment he  succeeded  in  shoving  the  frail  boat  in  safety  over  the 
dangerous  ice,  dragging  the  seal  after  him,  which  was  quickly 
devoured  by  the  hungry  people,  with  many  compliments  to  Joe 
for  his  daring  and  successful  hunt. 

When  March  approached  seals  became  more  plentiful,  and  were 
>hot  almost  daily.  Bears,  also,  were  occasionally  killed,  for  in 
ihe  latitude  in  which  they  were  now  drifting  these  animals  are 
both  land  and  aquatic  in  their  habits,  and  are  often  seen  swim- 
ming between  ice-floes  more  than  one  hundred  miles  from  land. 

A    BEAR    HUNT   ON   THE    FLOE. 

ON  the  28th  of  March,  just  after  dark,  Capt.  Tyson  heard  a 
noise  outside  the  ice  hut  in  which  he  and  the  Esquimaux  lodged, 
the  other  b»lf  ;"  which  the  men  lived,  being  a  few  feet  distant.  Joe, 


714 


TIIK   WORLD  8   WONDERS. 


the  Esquimau  who  accompanied  Capt.  Hall  on  all  his  expeditions, 
was  preparing  to  retire,  but  on  hearing  the  noise  thought  it  was 
the  ice  breaking  up,  and  went  out  to  see  what  the  situation  was, 
He  was  not  gone  more  than  ten  seconds  before  he  came  back, 
pale  and  frightened,  exclaiming,  "There  is  a  bear  close  to  my 
kyack  !"  The  kyack  was  within  ten  feet  of  the  entrance  to  the 
hut.  Joe's  rifle,  and  also  Capt.  Tyson's,  were  outside — the  latter 
lying  close  to  the  kyack — Joe's  inside  of  it ;  but  Joe  had  his 
pistol  in  the  hut.  They  both  now  crept  cautiously  out,  and, 
getting  to  the  outer  entrance,  they  could  hear  the  bear  distinctly 


JOE  AND  HANS  KILLING  THE  BEAR. 

eating.  There  were  several  seal-skins  and  a  good  deal  of  blubber 
lying  around  in  all  directions.  Some  of  these  skins  were  being 
dried  for  clothing,  and  some  were  yet  green.  They  could  plainly 
see  his  bearship.  He  had  now  hauled  some  of  the  skins  and 
blubber  about  thirty  feet  from  the  kyack,  and  was  eating  away, 
having  a  good  feast.  Joe  crept  into  the  sailors'  hut  to  alarm 
them.  While  he  was  gone  Tyson  crawled  stealthily  to  his  rifle, 
but  in  taking  it  he  knocked  down  a  shot-gun  standing  by.  The 
bear  heard  it,  but  Tyson's  rifle  was  already  on  him  ;  he  growled, 
Tyson  pulled  the  trigger,  but  the  gun  did  not  go  ;  he  pulled  the 
second  and  third  time, — it  did  not  go,  but  Tyson  did,  for  the  beer 


THE    WORLD* S    WONDERS.  715 

now  caiue  for  him.  Getting  in  the  hut  he  put  another  cartridge 
in,  and  placing  two  reserves  in  his  vest  pocket,  crept  out  again, 
getting  a  position  where  he  could  see  the  animal,  although  it  was 
what  might  be  called  quite  dark.  The  bear  saw  him,  too,  and 
again  faced  him  ;  but  this  time,  to  Tyson's  joy  and  his  sorrow, 
the  rifle-ball  went  straight  to  its  mark.  Joe  now  came  out  of  the 
men's  hut,  and  cracked  both  a  rifle  and  pistol  at  him.  The  bear 
ran  about  two  rods,  and  fell  dead.  On  skinning  him  in  the  morn- 
ing, they  found  that  the  ball  had  entered  the  left  shoulder,  passed 
through  the  heart,  and  out  at  the  other  side — a  lucky  shot  in  the 
dark! 

Several  other  bears  and  seals  were  killed  about  this  time,  so 
that  there  was  no  longer  a  lack  of  food,  such  as  it  was. 

Joe  and  Hans,  the  Esquimau  hunters,  had  quite  a  contest, 
one  day,  with  a  large  bear  on  the  ice,  which  they  finally  killed 
with  their  spears,  in  native  fashion.  This  is  accomplished  by 
approaching  close  to  the  animal,  and  as  it  rears  up  to  strike  with 
its  paws,  a  sudden  thrust  of  the  spear  into  some  vital  part  soon 
ends  the  contest.  But  it  is  exceedingly  dangerous  sport,  for  the 
bear  frequently  knocks  the  spear  out  of  the  hunter's  hands,  or 
breaks  it  with  a  blow  of  his  huge  paw,  and  then  the  fate  of  the 
poor  hunter  is -sealed. 

Food 'was  now  in  abundance  ;  but  new  dangers  arose,  for  as 
they  drifted  into  a  warmer  temperature,  the  ice  began  to  break 
up,  and  they  were  in  constant  dread  of  their  lives  from  drowning. 
They  had  one  boat  left,  the  other  having  been  broken  up  for 
fuel,  but  a  small  boat  could  not  live  many  minutes  amid  the 
crushing  and  grinding  cakes  of  ice  tossed  by  an  angry  sea,  as 
they  had  to  leap  and  scramble  from  one  floe  to  another,  the  one 
they  were  drifting  on  sometimes  breaking  at  their  feet. 

This  dreadful  state  of  affairs  continued  so  long  that  the  food 
supply  again  ran  short,  there  being  no  opportunity  to  recruit  it. 
April  15th  and  16th  Tyson  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
journal : 

"  Some  of  the  men  have  dangerous  looks ;  this  hunger  is  dis- 
turbing their  brains.  I  cannot  but  fear  that  they  contemplate 


716 


THE   WORLD'S   WONDERS. 


crime.  After  what  we  have  gone  through,  I  hope  this  company 
may  be  preserved  from  any  fatal  wrong.  We  can  and  we  must 
bear  what  God  sends  without  crime.  This  party  must  not  dis- 
grace humanity  by  cannibalism." 

Some  of  the  men  had  threatened  to  kill  and  eat  the  Esquimaux, 
and  the  latter  were  in  constant  dread  of  that  terrible  fate  ;  but 
Capt.  Tyson  had  determined  that  if  an  attack  should  be  made 
upon  them,  he  would  stand  by  them  and  die  with  them.  The 
following  night  he  writes  : 


A  NIGHT  OF  HORROR. 

"  One  more  day  got  over  without  a  catastrophe.  The  ice  is 
still  the  same.  We  keep  an  hour- watch  now  through  the 
night.  The  men  are  too  weak  to  keep  up  long  together. 
Some  one  has  been  at  the  pemmican.  This  is  not  the  first 
time.  I  know  the  men;  there  are  three  of  them.  They 
have  been  the  three  principal  pilferers  of  the  party.  I  should 
not  blame  them  much  for  taking  food,  but  of  course  all  the 
others  will  have  less  in  consequence.  We  have  but  a  few  days' 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  717 

provisions  left.  We  came  down  still  lower  on  our  allowance  this 
morning.  Bather  weakening  work,  but  it  must  be  done  to  save 
life  in  the  end.  The  idea  that  cannibalism  can  be  contemplated 
by  any  human  being  troubles  me  very  much." 

April  28th  was  a  day,  or  rather  a  night,  which  can  never  be 
forgotten  by  Tyson  or  any  of  his  party,  for,  from  9  p.  M.  to  7 
A.  M.,  the  whole  night,  each  one  was  compelled  to  face  a  fuiy 
and  fight  death  with  a  nerve  and  endurance  which  only  a  des- 
perate love  of  life  could  inspire.  Resting  on  a  small  floe,  a  gale 
came  up,  lashing  the  ocean  into  tempestuous  billows  that  rolled 
over  them  and  swept  away  their  tent,  skins,  and  nearly  every- 
thing but  the  boat ;  this  the  men  held  on  to  with  a  death-grip, 
for  it  was  the  only  thing  between  them  and  destruction.  All  night 
long  they  held  the  boat,  which  a  hundred  times  was  nearly  dashed 
from  their  weakened  grasps  by  the  mad  waves,  while  they  were 
assailed  by  a  battery  of  loose  ice  of  all  sizes,  which  bruised  their 
legs  in  a  shocking  manner;  but  they  bravely  held  on  throughout 
the  night  and  until  the  storm  abated,  when  all  were  bundled  into 
the  boat  and  rowed  away  to  a  more  secure  floe,  where  they  had 
the  extraordinary  good  fortune  to  kill  a  bear. 

April  28th  the  joyful  sight  of  a  steamer  burst  upon  their  view, 
but  it  was  afar  off,  and  vanished  like  fleeting  hope  in  the  dark- 
ness, which  was  near.  All  the  party  were  now  embarked  in  the 
boat,  watches  were  posted,  and  there  was  an  intense  nervous 
strain  excited  by  the  hope  of  seeing  another  vessel.  In  the  after- 
noon smoke  was  descried  eight  miles  to  the  east,  and  soon  a 
steamer  hove  in  sight.  They  pulled  with  a  will  toward  the 
vessel,  until  so  beset  with  ice  that  they  could  go  no  further.  They 
landed  on  a  small  piece  of  ice,  hoisted  their  colors,  and  fired  three 
volleys  from  the  guns.  The  sound  of  three  shots  was  wafted 
back  to  them  in  response,  and  the  vessel. headed  for  them  ;  every- 
one's heart  is  leaping  with  rapture,  for  rescue  seems  nt  hand, 
but,  like  a  will-o'-the-wisp,  the  ship  changed  her  course  and 
faded  away.  ;f.  .»- 

They  were  now  in  latitude  53°  35'  N.,  where  they  might  expert 
Lo  see  frequent  s»^«.  as  fishing  vessels  are  numerous  off  the  Lab- 


718 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDERS. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  719 

rador  coast,  where  they  were  now  drifting.  At  5  p.  M.,  of  April 
30th,  they  were  overjoyed  by  the  near  approach  of  a  steamer, 
pushing  her  way  through  a  thick  fog.  The  guns  were  instantly 
fired,  while  the  noise  of  the  discharge  was  increased  by  a  great 
shout  which  they  set  up  to  attract  attention.  Being  very  near, 
the  ship's  officers  soon  perceived  the  drifting  party,  and  lying  to, 
sent  out  a  boat,  into  which  they  were  lifted  and  speedily  trans- 
ferred on  board  the  steamer.  It  would  be  impossible  to  describe 
the  joy  felt  by  Tyson  and  his  fellow-sufferers  at  finding  them- 
selves in  warm,  comfortable  quarters,  feasting  from  a  bounteous 
table,  and  saved  from  the  very  jaws  of  a  terrible  death.  The 
vessel  that  rescued  them  was  a  sealer,  the  Tigress,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Bartlett,  who  returned  with  them  to  St.  Johns,  arriv- 
ing there  May  12th.  The  extraordinary  character  of  this  adven- 
.ture  has  passed  into  history  as  one  of  the  greatest  wonders  of 
shipwreck  and  endurance.  Fora  period  of  196  days  they  were 
drifting  on  the  ice-floes,  during  which  time  they  traveled,  by  the 
current,  2,000  miles.  It  is  a  story  which  almost  surpasses  belief, 
yet  true  to  the  letter. 

NIGHT    IN    THE    ARCTIC    REGIONS. 

DARKNESS  is  a  condition  of  nature  which  we  instinctively  shun  ; 
it  seems  to  curtain  the  world  like  a  pall  of  death,  or  afford  con- 
cealment for  hideous  things  ;  horrible  mirages  of  the  brain,  and 
misty  apparitions,  which  tradition  has  conceived  and  transmitted. 
With  our  natural  dread  of  twelve  hours  night  succeeding  a  like 
period  of  day,  what  must  be  the  effect  of  an  uninterrupted  night 
of  nearly  five  months?  Not  clouds  and  shadows,  but  the  deep 
shades  of  changeless  darkness,  when  the  moon,  in  her  phases, 
is  the  only  source  of  light,  save -the  stars  that  twinkle  like  a  frost- 
setting  gathering  gleams  from  a  setting  sun. 

Dr.  Kane's  Journal  of  November  7th  reads:  "The  darkness 
is  coming  on  with  insidious  steadiness,  and  its  advances  can  only 
be  perceived  by  comparing  one  day  with  its  fellow  of  some  time 
back.  We  still  read  the  thermometer  at  noonday  without  alight, 
and  the  black  masses  of  the  hills  are  plain  for  about  five  hours 
with  their  glaring  patches  of  snow  ;  but.  all  the  rest  is  darkness. 


720  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

Lanterns  are  always  on  the  spar-deck,  and  the  lard-lamps  never 
extinguished  below.  The  stars  of  the  sixth  magnitude  shine  out 
at  noonday.  Our  darkness  has  ninety  days  to  run  before  we 
shall  get  back  again  even  to  the  contested  twilight  of  to-day. 
Altogether,  our  winter  will  have  been  sunless  for  one  hundred 

O  ' 

and  forty  days." 

"  December  15. — We  have  lost  the  last  vestige  of  our  mid-dav 

c?  •/ 

twilight.  We  cannot  see  print,  and  hardly  paper ;  the  fingers 
cannot  be  counted  a  foot  from  the  eyes.  Noonday  and  midnight 
are  alike,  and,  except  a  vague  glimmer  on  the  sky  that  seems  to 
define  the  hill  outlines  to  the  south,  we  have  nothing  to  tell  us  that 
this  Arctic  world  of  ours  has  a  sun.  In  one  week  more  we  shall 
reach  the  midnight  of  the  year." 

Later  he  writes  :  "  The  influence  of  this  long,  intense  darkness 
was  most  depressing.  Even  our  dogs,  although  the  greater  part 
of  them  were  natives  of  the  Arctic  circle,  were  unable  to  with- 
stand it.  Most  of  them  died  from  an  anomalous  form  of  disease, 
to  which,  I  am  satisfied,  the  absence  of  light  contributed  as  much 
as  the  extreme  cold." 

The  nervous  disorder  which  destroyed  several  of  his  dogs  has 
been  described  in  a  previous  chapter,  but  Kane  affirms  that  there 
were  at  least  three  cases  of  hydrophobia  among  them,  which,  he 
believed,  was  produced  by  the  protracted  night. 

While  man  is  not  so  seriously  affected  by  a  long  period  of 
darkness  as  are  dogs,  cats,  and  other  domestic  animals,  he  does 
not  wholly  escape,  and  frequently  succumbs  to  a  melancholia 
which  the  Arctic  night  induces.  To  ward  off  this  insidious  dis- 
ease, Polar  explorers  keep  their  men  busy,  even  if  it  is  only  play- 
ing fox,  leap-frog,  or  other  active  pastimes.  Cards,  checkers, 
chess,  and  other  games,  serve  also  to  occupy  the  mind,  and  thus 
render  the  body  less  receptive  to  the  influence  of  darkness.  In 
every  respect  an  Arctic  night  is  awful,  and  it  tries  the  strongest 
constitution,  for,  aside  from  scurvy,  it  is  the  most  deleterious, 
exhaustive  influence  with  which  Polar  travelers  have  to  contend. 
Ueyond  the  quarters  where  lie  housed  the  men,  there  is  no  sound  ; 
the  snow,  falling  soft  as  shadows,  is  the  only  moving  thing  in 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  721 

apparent  creation  ;  if  the  stillness  be  broken  by  a  halloo,  no 
echo  comes  back,  and  the  spell  remains  yet  undisturbed.  So 
perfectly  quiet,  lonesome,  and  weirdly  stagnant  does  all  the  world 
seem,  that  it  weighs  with  a  wonderful  oppressiveness  upon  the 
brain  and  soul  alike,  until  a  charnel  house  would  appear  more 
endurable,  for  in  the  presence  of  death  the  soul  finds  interest  in 
reflection  ;  spirit  would  at  least  be  company  there  for  chaotic 
thoughts. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

INCIDENTS    OF    ARCTIC   LIFE. 

LIFE  among  the  Esquimaux  is  peculiar.  I  have  given  a  brief 
description  of  their  customs  in  a  previous  chapter,  but  there  are 
incidents  to  be  met  with  from  time  to  time  which  gradually  dis- 
close their  character  in  a  specific  way.  It  is  rarely  pleasant  to 
record  unpleasant  things,  yet  to  the  end  that  a  faithful  and 
accurate  description  be  made,  it  is  sometimes  necessary. 

Like  all  barbarous  tribes,  the  Esquimaux  have  little  or  no 
regard  for  their  wives  or  old  people.  Hunting  being  the  sole 
occupation  with  them,  they  value  each  other  for  valor  and  suc- 
cess in  procuring  game.  Aged  people,  too  infirm  for  active  ser- 
vice, are  treated  with  great  cruelty,  and  are  frequently  aban- 
doned and  left  to  perish  by  their  own  children,  though  there  is 
no  nation  in  which  filial  affection,  for  the  males,  is  more  pro- 
nounced than  among  the  Esquimaux  when  the  parents  are  of  a 
vigorous  age.  The  Esquimau  women  are  entitled  to  the  pity  of 
all  Christendom,  for  their  condition  is  that  of  the  most  oppres- 
sive form  of  slavery.  They  are  sold  into  the  marriage  bondage 
at  the  age  of  twelve  and  fifteen  years,  and  though  their  lot  was 
hard  enough  under  the  parental  roof,  it  is  doubly  severe  in  mat- 
rimony. They  perform  all  the  drudgery  of  camp  life,  carry 
immense  burdens  when  traveling,  and  their  food  is  generally  the 
leavings  of  their  lord's  feasts.  When  in  child-birth,  they  are 
46 


722 


THE   WORLD  8   WONDERS. 


entirely  abandoned  and  left  to  care  for  themselves,  not  even  pro. 
vided  with  food  or  fuel.  The  heartlessness  of  the  Esquimau  men 
toward  their  women  is  well  illustrated  in  the  following  incident, 
described  by  Lieut.  Schwatka  : 


THE   NRTCHILLIK   AMBASSADRESS. 


While  the  Schwatka  Expedition  was  searching  for  relics  of  the 
Sir  John  Franklin  party,  on  reaching  an  inlet  west  of  Richardson 
Point,  they  came  upon  an  encampment  of  Netchillik  Esquimaux, 
who  are  more  combative  than  any  other  tribe  found  in  the  Arctic 


THI  WORLD'S  WONDEIIS.  723 

regions,  and  are  therefore  generally  in  trouble,  for  which  reason 
they  are  extremely  vigilant.  Schwatka  was  anxious  to  open  com- 
munication with  them,  hoping  thereby  to  learn  something  about 
the  lost  explorers.  A  firing  of  guns  brought  the  Esquimaux  out 
of  their  huts,  and  seeing  a  party,  of  whites  near  their  camp,  they 
quickly  formed  in  line  of  battle.  After  forming,  they  sent  out 
an  old  woman  toward  Sehwatka's  party,  with  the  purpose  of 
testing  whether  the  strangers  were  bent  on  hostilities  ;  if  they 
should  kill  the  old  creature,  the  act  would  reveal  their  intentions, 
but  if  she  should  be  received  with  a  friendly  spirit,  it  would  be 
construed  as  a  desire  for  amicable  relations.  After  Schwatka 
met  the  Netchilliks,  he  asked  them  why  they  sent  an  old  woman 
to  him.  "  Oh,"  they  replied,  in  effect,  "  if  you  had  killed  her 
it  would  have  been  a  small  gain  to  us,  for  there  would  have  been 
one  less  woman  to  care  for,  while  if  we  had  sent  a  man,  and  you 
should  have  killed  him,  it  would  have  reduced  our  fighting  strength 
and  proved  a  serious  loss." 

While  the  Esquimaux  are  usually  reliable,  peaceable,  and  hos- 
pitable, tnree  very  commendable  characteristics,  they  are  certainly 
as  far  removed  from  cleanliness  as  are  pigs  left  to  their  own 
resources  in  small  quarters.  We  can  excuse  them  somewhat  for 
indul^in^  foul  habits  of  eating,  on  account  of  the  precarious  and 

CO  C '  A. 

often  limited  diet  upon  which  they  are  compelled  to  subsist. 
Raising  no  vegetables,  they  are  confined  to  flesh,  which  is  obtained 
entirely  by  hunting  ;  as  a  consequence,  at  times  they  are  luxuri- 
ating in  great  abundance,  while  again  they  have  nothing.  Every 
particle- of  the  animals  which  they  kill,  excepting  the  skins  or 
horns,  is  eaten,  and  that,  too,  with  the  keenest  relish.  It  is  true 
that  they  will  not  eat  a  bear's  liver,  but  purely  from  the  fact  that 
it  is  poisonous,  or,  at  least,  it  produces  the  most  intense  nausea, 
which  no  amount  of  physics  can  relieve  under  a  week  of  dosing. 
The  intestines  of  animals  are  esteemed  a  delicacy,  especially 
when  stuffed  with  tallow,  and  frozen.  A  dish  made  of  the  stom- 
ach of  a  raindeer,  or  seal,  and  mixed  with  seal-oil,  is  the  Esqui- 
mau substitute  for  ice-cream.  Lieut.  Schwatka  thus  describes 
the  preparation  of  this  confection  : 


724  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

"  The  confectioner  was  a  toothles  old  hag,  who  mixed  the  in- 
gredients in  a  wooden  dish  dirtier  than  anything  I  ever  saw  before, 
and  filled  with  reindeer  hairs,  which,  however,  were  not  conspic- 
uous when  well  mingled  with  the  half-churned  grass  and  moss. 
She  extracted  the  oil  from  the  blubber  by  crushing  it  between 
her  old  gums,  and  spat  it  into  the  dish,  stirring  it  with  her  fingers 


IJEUT.  SCHWATKA   AND  HIS   MEN  TRAVELING  IN   KING   WILLIAM   LAND. 

until  the  entire  mass  became  white,  and  of  about  the  consistency 
of  cottage  cheese.  I  ate  some,  merely  to  say  I  had  eaten  it,  a*id 
not  to  offend  my  entertainers,  but  I  cannot  say  I  enjoyed  it." 

A  very  clever  reason  may  be  assigned  for  the  gluttonous,  or 
improvident,  character  of  the  Esquimaux,  and  that  is  the  neces- 
sity for  quick  consumption  of  the  flesh  they  obtain  in  order  to 
prevent  its  putrefaction.  This  statement  appears  unreasonable 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  725 

lo  those  unacquainted  with  a  Polar  climate,  hut  it  is  nonetheless 
u  fact.  Dr.  Kane  made  the  following  observation  in  his  diary  of 
February  24,  1854  : 

"  A  bitter  disappointment  met  us  at  our  evening  meal.  The 
flesh  of  our  deer  was  nearly  uneatable  from  putrefaction  ;  the 
liver  and  intestines,  from  which  I  had  expected  so  much,  utterly 
so.  The  rapidity  of  such  a  change,  in  a  temperature  as  low  as 
minus  35°,  seems  curious  ;  but  the  Greenlanders  say  that  extreme 
cold  is  rather  a  promoter  than  otherwise  of  the  putrefactive  pro- 
cess. All  the  grass-eating  animals  have  the  same  tendency,  as  is 
well  known  to  the  butchers.  Our  buffalo-hunters,  when  they 
condescend  to  clean  a  carcass,  do  it  at  once  ;  they  have  told  m  > 
that  the  musk-ox  is  sometimes  tainted  after  five  minutes' expo- 
sure. The  Esquimaux,  with  whom  there  is  no  fastidious  sensi- 
bility of  palate,  are  in  the  practice  at  Yotlik  and  Horses'  Head, 
in  latitude  73°  40',  even  in  the  severest  weather,  of  withdrawing 
the  viscera  immediately  after  death  and  filling  the  cavity  with 
stones." 

Another  fact,  hardly  less  interesting,  is  found  in  the  serious 
effect  produced  by  the  eating  of  ice  or  snow,  the  latter  particu- 
larly. Reference  is  made  to  this  in  a  description  of  the  suffer- 
ings of  Elison,  of  the  Greely  Expedition.  In  a  Polar  atmos- 
phere there  is  such  rapid  evaporation  of  heat  from  the  body  that 
the  internal  temperatureis  materially  lowered,  sometimes  as  much 
as  two  degrees,  while  in  the  mouth  there  is  a  total  absence  of 
caloric,  so  that  snow  or  ice  will  not  melt  within  the  closed  mouth. 
During  such  times  any  attempt  to  quench  thirst  by  eating  snow  is 
followed  by  results  almost  identical  with  that  of  a  piece  of  highly- 
heated  iron  held  in  the  mouth  ;  it  burns  so  intensely  that  the 
tongue  is  speedily  reduced  to  a  blistered  and  then  raw  condition, 
just  as  if  the  covering,  or  papillae,  were  entirely  burned  off.  Its 
effects  upon  tin  L  -icous  membrane  of  the  mouth  are  no  less  dis- 
astrous. Man  ,  persons  tortured  by  thirst  have  lain  down  their 
lives  in  the  Arctic  regions  after  the  most  excruciating  sufferings, 
by  not  heeding  the  warnings  given  them  against  eating  snow. 

Capt.  Hall,  during  his  expedition  to  King  William  Land,  in 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


TENNYSON'S  MONUMENT. 


TMK    WOKLt>'g    WONDER*.  727 

1869,  had  some  excellent  brandy,  of  so  high  a  proof  that  it  would 
not  freeze  ;  and  one  very  cold  night,  upon  camping  after  a  long 
day's  journey,  he  thoughtlessly  took  a  swallow  of  the  liquor 
without  first  warming  it,  and  it  burnt  his  mouth  and  stomach 
like  boiling  water. 

TENNYSON'S  MONUMENT. 

THE  far  fields  of  the  extreme  North  are  not  always  covered 
with  frozen  incrustations  of  ice,  snow,  or  monster  berirs,  nor  do 
these  comprise  all  the  wonders  of  the  desolate  Arctic  regions. 
The  most  picturesque  portion  of  the  North  Greenland  coast  is 
found  between  Cape  George  Russell  and  Dallas  Bay,  and  along 
this  margin,  which  ascends  precipitously  to  a  height  of  more  than 
one  thousand  feet,  some  remarkable  red  sandstone  formations 
are  noticeable.  The  seasons  have  acted  on  the  different  layers  of 
the  cliff  so  as  to  give  them  the  appearance  of  jointed  masonry, 
and  the  narrow  line  of  greenstone  at  the  top  caps  them  with 
well-simulated  battlements. 

The  sloping  rubbish  at  the  foot  of  the  coast  wall  leads  up,  like 
an  artificial  causeway,  to  a  gorge  that  glows  at  noonday  with  the 
southern  sun  ;  while  everywhere  else  the  rock  stands  out  in  the 
blackest  shadow.  Just  at  the  edge  of  this  bright  opening  rises 
the  dreamy  semblance  of  a  castle,  flanked  with  t ripple  towers, 
completely  isolated  and  clearly  defined.  These  monuments  of 
sandstone  are  known  as  the  "Three  Brothers."  But  there  is 
another,  of  still  more  striking  symmetry  and  grandeur,  in  the 
immediate  vicinity,  to  which  Dr.  Kane  gave  the  name,  Tenny- 
son's .Monument,  and  which  he  has  described  as  follows: 

"  A  single  cliff  of  greenstone,  marked  by  the  slaty  limestone 
that  once  encased  it,  rears  itself  from  a  crumbled  base  of  sand- 
stones, like  the  boldly-chiseled  rampart  of  an  ancient  city.  At 
its  northern  extremity,  on  the  brink  of  a  deep  ravine  which  has 
worn  its  way  among  the  ruins,  there  stands  a  solitary  column,  or 
minaret-tower,  as  sharply  finished  as  if  it  had  been  cast  for  the 
Place  Vedome.  Yet  the  length  of  the  shaft  alone  is  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet ;  and  it  rises  on  a  plinth  or  pedestal  itself 
two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  high." 


728 


THE   WORLD  8   WONDERS. 


DR.  HAYES'  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  ESQUIMAUX. 
DR.  ISAAC  I.  HAYES,  surgeon  of  the  Griimell  Expedition  under 
Dr.  Kane,  has  given  us  some  excellent  pen-portraitures  of  the 
Esquimaux,  about  whom  he  seemed  never  to  tire  of  writing,  be- 
cause he  found  them  to  be  such  an  uncommonly  interesting  people. 
He' describes  a  meeting  with  an  Angekok  (sorcerer  or  doctor) 
and  several  Esquimaux  a  few  miles  above  Cape  Parry.  When 
they  perceived  the  approach  of  the  white  men,  every  one  set  up 
a  howl  of  "  Kabulenet!  Oomedk!"  "  White  men  and  ships  I" 


THE  ESQUIMAUX   RUNNING  TO   MEET   DR.   HAYES. 

and  they  all  rushed  down  upon  the  ice-foot,  gesticulating  in  the 
wildest  manner,  to  meet  them.  The  old  sorcerer  was  most  con- 
spicuous jn  his  cries  and  friendly  exclamations,  until  Hayes  was 
induced  to  row  ashore  and  take  the  man  of  magic  into  the  boat. 
This  courtesy  was  acknowledged  by  the  Angekok  crying  out  in 
his  childish  pride  to  his  less  fortunate  people,  "  Tek-kona!  tek- 
kona!" — «  Look  at  me  !"  "  look  at  me  !" 
.  Says  Hayes:  "The  bay  was  covered  with  pancake-ice,  which 
greatly  retarded  our  progress  ;  and  it  was  nightfall  when  we 


THE    WORLD'S   WONDERS.  729 

reached  the  settlement,  a  rnile  and  a-half  up  the  hav.  The  whole 
colony  eagerly  assisted  us  in  landing  the  boats  and  in  carrying 
up  the  cargo.  About  twenty  of  them,  as  if  it  were  fine  sport, 
seized  the  painter  and  the  gunwale,  and  endeavored  to  imitate  us 
in  every  motion,  breaking  out  into  loud  peals  of  laughter  when- 
ever they  made  a  mistake.  The  subject  which  caused  them  the 
most  merriment  was  the  '  Heave-oh  !'  of  the  sailors.  This  they 
attempted  to  imitate  ;  and  it  Was  very  amusing  to  observe  their 
efforts  to  chime  in  and  keep  time.  They  could  not  approach 
nearer  than  'I-e-u!'  They  afterward  i-e-u-d  everything,  and 
'I-e-u  !  i-e-u  !'  rang  through  the  settlement  the  livelong  night." 
On  the  following  day  friendly  intercourse  was  established,  and 
the  Esquimaux  were  invited  to  share  with  Hayes  some  of  his 
food.  Writing1  of  their  astonishment  at  the  customs  of  white 

o  • 

people,  he  says : 

"We  gave  them  a  share  of  our  meal,  offered  them  a  taste  of 
coffee,  and  passed  around  some  pieces  of  ship-biscuit.  The 
biscuit  proved  too  hard  for  their  teeth,  and,  until  they  saw  us  eat, 
they  could  not  divine  its  use.  They  laughed  and  nibbled  at  it 
alternately,  and  then  stuck  it  into  their  boots — their  general  tem- 
porary receptacle  for  all  curiosities.  They  made  wry  faces  over 
the  coffee,  and  a  general  laugh  arose  against  the  Angekok,  who 
persisted  in  taking  a  drink  of  the  hot  liquid.  We  had,  altogether, 
an  amusing  time  with  them.  The  evening  being  warm,  we  sat 
upon  the  rocks  for  several  hours,  and  after  supper  our  men 
lighted  their  pipes.  This  capped  the  climax  of  our  strange 
customs.  The  Esquimaux  seemed  amazed,  and  looked  first  at  us, 
then  at  each  other,  then  at  us  again.  They  evidently  thought  it 
a  religious  ceremony,  seeing  how  solemn  were  our  faces.  At 
length  I  could  not  abstain  from  a  smile ;  the  signal  thus  given 
was  followed  by  shouting,  clawing  of  hands,  and  general  confu- 
sion among  the  troop.  They  ran  about,  puffing  out  their  cheeks, 
and  imitating,  as  nearly  as  they  could,  the  motions  of  the 
smokers.  Kalutunah,  the  chief,  who  was  determined  to  try  every- 
thing, begged  to  be  allowed  to  smoke  a  pipe.  One  being  handed 
to  him,  he  was  directed  to  take  a  long  and  deep  inhalation  ;  tfcis 


730  THE   WORLD  S   WONDERS. 

accomplished,  he  desired  no  more,  and  his  rueful  face  brought 
the  mirth  of  the  party  again  upon  him." 

ATTACKED    BY    DOGS. 

DR.  HAYES  fared  well  enough  among  the  Esquimaux  themselves, 
but  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  a  pack  of  their  dogs,  which 
beset  him.  It  is  a  common  thing  for  them  to  keep  their  dogs 
without  food  for  two  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  become 
so  ravenously  hungry  as  to  take  upon  themselves  the  nature  of 
wolves.  The  dogs  are  tied  to  stakes  by  long  traces,  made  of 
seal-skin,  which  they  sometimes  eat.  In  the  adventure  alluded 
to,  Hayes  was  returning  to  the  encampment  from  a  visit  to  his 
boats  ;  a  furious  snow-storm  was  prevailing,  which  almost  blinded 
him,  so  that  he  unconsciously  came  within  reach  of  the  tied  pack. 
The  dogs  set  on  him  most  savagely,  and  would  undoubtedly  have 
devoured  him  but  for  a  long  whip  which  fortunately  was  within 
reach.  With  this  he  laid  about  him  so  vigorously  as  to  repel 
their  attack,  though  not  without  receiving  several  severe  bites. 
A  little  child  or  disabled  person  is  never  safe  among  Esquimau 
dogs,  and  Hayes  mentions  two  instances,  one  of  a  child,  the  other 
a  woman,  in  which  these  dogs  killed  and  devoured  their  victims 
in  the  midst  of  a  very  considerable  camp. 

A   DASHING   ESQUIMAU   WIDOW. 

THERE  are  dashing  widows,  though  extremely  rare,  among  the 
Esquimaux,  for  it  is  the  usual  custom  with  them  to  make  the 
funeral-baked  meats  furnish  forth  the  wedding  feast.  Hayes, 
however,  was  fortunate  enough  to  see  a  dashing — that  is  to  say, 
vivacious — widow,  though  her  attractions  were  somewhat  marred 
by  the  fact  that  she  was  neither  young  nor  pretty,  but  she  had  a 
"fellow"  on  her  string  nevertheless.  The  couple  came  to  visit 
Hayes'  camp,  she  with  an  arm  fun  of  frozen  auks,  and  her  lover 
carrying  a  large  chunk  of  walrus  meat.  With  the  courtesy 
becoming  his  sex,  Dr.  Hayes  tendered  the  widow  the  use  of  his 
cooking  apparatus,  which  she  politely  declined,  preferring  to  eat 
her  meat  raw,  but  to  show  her  appreciation  for  the  friendly  offers 
made  by  Hayes,  she  proffered  to  share  her  small  store  of  birds 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


731 


and  walrus  meat  with  the  men  ;  singling  out  the  astronomer  of 
the  expedition,  who  sat  next  to  her,  she  first  chewed  a  piece  of 
frozen  bird  meat,  and  then  presented  to  him  the  well-masticated 
morsel,  which,  however,  he  declined,  upon  the  plea  of  a  weak 
stomach.  Hayes  continues  the  description  of  this  characteristic 
incident  as  follows : 

*'  So  great  a  courtesy  she  did  not  expect  would  be  declined 
under  any  pretense,  and  she  seemed  quite  mortified  ;  but,  nothing 
daunted,  she  passed  the  lump  over  to  me  ;  but  no,  I  could  not 


AN   ESQUIMAU    DANDY— THE  WIDOW'S  "FELLOW." 

oblige  her.  With  quite  a  desponding  face  she  crossed  the  floor 
and  tried  Whipple.  Not  meeting  with  success  in  that  quarter, 
she  came  back  to  Mr.  Bonsall,  who  was  already  quite  a  philoso- 
pher in  making  his  tastes  subservient  to  his  physical  wants.  'Now 
for  it,  Bonsall ! '  cried  Petersen.  These  words  of  encouragement 
had  the  effect  to  call  forth  a  hearty  laugh  on  all  sides;  which, 
being  misunderstood  by  the  widow,  she  hastily  withdrew  her 
offering  of  friendship,  bolted  it  herself,  and  in  offended  silence 
went  on  with  her  work  of  skinning  birds  and  swallowing  them,- 


732  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

We  all  felt  that  henceforth  we   should    have  an  enemy  in  the 
widow. 

"This  widow  greatly  interested  me.  She  ate  birds  for  con- 
science sake.  Her  husband's  soul  had  passed  into  the  body  of  a 
walrus  as  a  temporary  habitation,  and  the  Angekok  had  prescribed 
that,  for  a  certain  period,  she  should  not  eat  the  flesh  of  this 
animal  ;  and  since,  at  this  time  of  year,  bear  and  seal  were 
scarce,  she  was  compelled  to  fall  back  upon  a  small  stock  of  birds 
which  had  been  collected  during  the  previous  summer," 

AN    ESQUIMAU    SLEDGE. 

CONSIDERING  the  means  at  hand,  there  are  few  things  that 
exhibit  greater  skill  and  ingeniousness  than  an  Esquimau  sledge. 
It  is  constructed  wholly  of  bone  and  leather,  as  follows  :  The 
runners,  which  are  of  bone,  are  square  behind  and  rounded  up- 
ward in  front,  usually  about  five  feet  in  length,  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  thick,  and  seven  inches  in  height.  These  runners  are  not 
of  solid  bone,  but  composed  of  many  pieces,  of  various  shapes  and 
sizes,  most  wondrously  fitted  or  spliced  together  by  means  of 
seal-skin  strings  ;  so  extremely  nice  are  these  fittings  that  but  for 
the  strings  the  interstices  would  hardly  be  perceptible,  while  the 
joinings  are  as  strong  as  if  the  entire  runner  were  one  piece  of 
solid  bone.  One  very  remarkable  fact  connected  with  the  making 
of  the  runner  is,  that  each  piece  of  bone  is  cut  into  the  required 
shape  by  means  of  stone  implements ;  therefore  the  necessary 
grinding  to  make  such  nice  joints  must  require  constant  labor  for 
many  months.  The  runners  are  shod  with  ivory  obtained  from 
walrus  tusks  ;  this  also  must  be  ground  flat  and  very  smooth,  and 
the  corners  squared  with  stones.  This  ivory  sheathing  is  fastened 
to  the  runner  by  a  seal  string  looped  through  counter-sunk  holes, 
but  as  it,  too,  is  in  many  pieces,  the  joining  work  is  even  more 
deftly  done  than  in  the  composition  of  the  main  slab,  the  surface 
being  left  as  uniform  and  smooth  as  glass. 

The  runners  stand  about  fourteen  inches  apart,  fastened  to- 
gether by  bone  cross-pieces,  tightly  lashed  by  seal  strings  ;  these 
pieces  are  usually  either  the  femur  bone  of  the  bear,  antlers  of 
the  reindeer,  or  ribs  of  the  norwhal.  Two  walrus  ribs  are  lashed 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


733 


to  the  after  end  of  each  runner  for  standards,  and  l>:-;iced  by 
pieces  of  reindeer  antlers  secured  across  the  top.  Thus  the  whole 
is  so  perfect  and  strong  that  such  a  sledge  can  stand  enormous 
strains,  and  may  be  tumbled  recklessly  over  the  roughest  ice, 
heavily  loaded,  without  fear  of  breakage. 

The  construction  of  an  entire  new  sledge  is  a  thing  almost  un- 
known among  the  Esquimaux.  Repairs  are  made  when  any  part 
becomes  broken  or  decayed,  but  they  are  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  and  the  origin  of  some  of  them  antedates 
tradition. 

Upon  such  a  vehicle  an  Esquimau  trusts  himself  for  long  jour- 


AN  ESQUIMAU   SLEDGE. 

neys  in  quest  of  game,  being  drawn  generally  by  seven  dogs, 
which  receive  their  cue  from  his  inspiriting  words,  "  Ka!  kaf — 
Ka!  kaf"  which  sets  them  bounding  over  ice-fields.  When  he 
gets  among  hummocks  he  lightens  his  load  by  walking,  and 
pushes  to  help  the  dogs  tug  their  heavy  burden  up  glacial  heights  ; 
sometimes  the  sledge  breaks  away  and  tumbles  pell-mell  down 
the  ice  crags,  but  it  is  rarely  injured,  and  the  load  is  so  well 
strapped  on  as  to  resist  displacement  even  under  the  strongest 
shocks. 

A    LIVELY-SMELLING    FEAST. 

Du.  HAYES  had  a  queer  experience  with  a  party  of  Esquimaux 
while  encamped  at  Netlik,  which  he  describes  in  a  facetious  vein. 


734  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

His  provisions  had  run  very  low,  and  to  keep  from  absolute  star- 
vation he  had  to  open  trade  with  the  neighboring  Esquimaux, 
with  whom  he  managed  to  barter  knives,  needles,  pieces  of  wood 
and  iron  for  meat,  but  it  was  not  always  that  even  these  highly- 
prized  articles  would  obtain  food,  on  account  of  its  extreme 
scarcity.  He  was  occupying  a  hut  with  fourteen  companions, 
and  these  fairly  crowded  it  to  its  capacity  ;  nevertheless,  when  an 
Esquimau  hunter,  with  wife  and  two  children,  chancc'd  to  visit 
him,  Hayes  courteously  invited  the  family  to  share  his  meagre 
quarters.  With  this  increase  of  occupants,  the  temperature  in 
the  hut  rose  from  29°  to  60°,  and  the  ice  walls  melted  so  that 
droppings  of  soot-black  water  soon  covered  the  entire  party,  and 
rendered  their  condition  extremely  disagreeable.  During  this 
friendly  visit  of  the  hunter  and  his  family,  another  Esquimau 
brought  to  the  hut  a  walrus  flipper,  weighing  nearly  fifty  pounds, 
and  several  lumme  birds  ;  he  also  brought  with  him  the  dashing 
widow  already  referred  to,  with  the  intention  of  having  a  joyous 
feast,  for  the  Esquimaux  think  of  very  little  save  hunting  and 
eating.  Dr.  Hayes  describes  the  happy  scene  in  the  following 
felicitous  manner : 

"  If  the  reader  will  follow  me  into  the  hut  he  will  see  there  a 
succession  of  tableaux  which  may  be  novel  to  him.  The  two 
above-mentioned  hunters  sit  facing  each  other,  and  facing  the 
lump  of  frozen  meat  which  lies  upon  the  ground.  Kalutunah 
has  the  sentimental  widow  at  his  left,  and  the  visiting  hunter  has 
his  wife  at  his  right.  The  children  are  crawling  about  over  the 
brecks  (raised  platforms  of  ice-blocks,  used  for  sleeping  pur- 
poses) ;  the  rest  of  us  are  mixed  up  indiscriminately,  white  men 
and  red  men  ;  some  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  breck  ;  some  lying 
at  full  length  upon  it ;  all  leisurely  eating — leisurely,  I  say,  for 
the  meat  is  so  icy  that  it  is  chipped  off  with  difficulty,  and  we 
obtain  it  only  in  little  crisp  pieces,  which  make  the  teeth  ache 
with  cold. 

"  An  hour  later  scarcely  any  impression  had  been  made  upon  the 
wulrus  flipper  ;  but  the  warmth  of  the  hut  had  partially  thawed 
jt,  and  the  knives  penetrated  it  more  readily,  while  strips  were  cut 


THE  WORLD' g  WONDERS. 


735 


off.     These  now  fly  about  in  all  directions.     Everybody  has  one. 
The  strip  may  be  three  inches,  or  it  may  be  a  foot  in  length  ; 


its  width  two  inches,  and  its  thickness  one  inch.     The  feeder 
takes    one  end  of  it  in  his  mouth,   and  seizing,    between  his 


736  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

teeth,  a  convenient  portion,  he  cuts  it  off  close  to  b\s  lips,  an  .1 
then  swallows  it  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  repeats  the  process 
Having  taken  two  or  three  bites  of  meat  he  the  i  takes  one'-? 
blubber.  The  red  nen  have  taught  the  white  men  how  to  fbunsh 
the  knife,  and  what  is  the  proper  motion  to  insure  safety  to  lie 
lips.  The  walrus  meat  is  very  juicy,  and  is  also  very  dark,  a  .  e 
faces  and  hands  of  all  of  us  are  covered  with  blood  ;  and  but  .o: 
the  beards  on  tue  faces  of  some  of  us,  it  would  ue  difficult  o 
distinguish  the  civilized  men  from  the  savages.  The  children 
have  each  a  strip  of  beef  and  blubber,  and  are  disposing  of  inese 
equally  with  the  best  of  us.  The  seven-year-old  stands  "With  "jis 
back  against  the  post,  straddling  across  one  corner  of  the  i.ip  x>r, 
rapidly  shortening  a  slice  which  his  father  has  given  him.  His 
body  is  naked  to  the  waist,  as,  indeed,  are  the  bodies  of  all  our 
guests.  His  fa*e  and  his  hands  are  red  with  the  thick  flir'd  whicn 
he  squeezes  from  tne  spongy  meat,  and  which  streams  down  his 
arms,  and  drops  from  his  chin  upon  his  distended  abdomen,  over 
the  hemispherical  surface  of  which  it  courses,  leaving  crimson 
stains  behind. 

"  Still  an  hour  later,  'and  there  is  nothing  Jeft  upon  the  loor 
but  a  well-picked  bone  ;  and  we  have  wiped  our  hands  wita  the 
bird-skins  which  the  widow  has  torn  from  the  lumme  of  which 
she  has  made  her  supper.  As  usual,  she  had  her*  feast  alone, 
and,  with  little  assistance,  she  has  consumed  six  birds,  each  'is 
large  as  a  young  pullet. 

"We  have  now  established  the  most  friendly  relations.  Mr. 
Sountag  sits  behind  me,  questioning  one  of  the  hunters  about 
astronomy.  Godfrey  is  amusing  the  women  and  children  with  a 
negro  song,  keeping  time  with  an  imaginary  banjo.  I  am  seated 
behind  Kalutunah,  and  we  are  teaching  each  other  scraps  of  our 
widely-different  languages.  I  try  to  get  the  savage  to  articulate 
yes  and  wo,  and  to  teach  him  of  what  Esquimau  words  they  are 
equivalents.  He  pronounces  ees  and  noe,  after  several  efforts, 
and  says  inquiringly,  « tymaT  (right?)  I  nod  my  head  und 
say  tyrna,  to  encourage  him  ;  whereupon  he  laughs  heartily  at 
my  bad  pronunciation  of  the  word." 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  737 

Dr.  Hayes  then  tried  to  teach  his  barbaric  pupil  how  to  count, 
but  soon  found  that  the  Esquimau  could  not  sound  the  "th  "  in 
three,  and  was  so  inapt  in  other  ways  that  the  effort  was  futile. 
These  people  have  no  conception  of  figures,  and  do  not  enumer- 
ate above  ten  ;  any  number  beyond  that  is  indicated  by  a  general 
name,  so  that  there  is  no  difference  in  their  expression  of  the 
number  twelve  and  a  thousand. 

ESQUIMAU   LEGEND   OF   THE    SUN   AND    MOON. 

THE  Esquimaux  have  original  ideas  about  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars ;  the  latter  serve  them  as  time-pieces,  for  so  closely  have 
they  studied  their  movements  that  the  time  of  night  is  reckoned 
by  them  with  great  accuracy.  They  regard  all  the  bright  lumi- 
naries 01  the  sky  as  spirits  of  the  departed,  but  the  sun  and 
moon  are  brother  and  sister.  The  story  of  their  origin  is  told  in 
the  following  strange  legend  : 

In  a  distant  country  there  once  lived  an  unmarried  woman  who 
had  several  brothers.  Being  once  at  a  festive  gathering,  she  felt 
herself  suddenly  and  violently  seized  by  the  shoulders.  This  she 
well  knew  was  a  declaration  of  love,  for  such  is  the  custom  of 
her  people  ;  but  who  the  man  was  she  could  not  discover,  since 
ihe  hut  was  quite  dark.  There  being  to  her  knowledge  no  men 
:n  the  village,  beside  her  brothers,  she  at  once  suspected  that  it 
jnust  be  one  of  these.  She  broke  from  him,  and,  running  away, 
smeared  her  hand  with  soot  and  oil.  Upon  returning  to  the  hut 
she  was  seized  again,  and  this  time  she  blackened  one  side  of  the 

O  7 

face  of  her  unknown  lover.  A  lighted  taper  being  brought  soon 
afterward,  her  suspicions  were  confirmed.  Seizing  the  taper,  she 
now  ran  out  of  the  hut,  and  bounded  over  the  rocks  with  the 
fleetness  of  a  deer.  Her  brother  lighted  a  taper  and  pursued 
her,  but  his  light  soon  went  out,  yet  he  still  continued  the  chase, 
and,  without  having  overtaken  her,  they  came  to  the  end  of  the 
earth.  Determined  not  to  be  caught,  the  girl  then  sprang  out 
into  the  heavens.  Her  brother  followed  her,  but  he  stumbled" 
while  in  the  act  of  springing,  and,  before  he  could  recover  him- 
self, the  object  of  his  pursuit  was  far  away  from  him.  Still 
bent  upon  gaining  the  prize,  he  continued  the  race  ;  and  from 
47 


738  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

that  time  until  this  the  sun  has  been  going  around  and  around, 
and  the  moon  around  and  around  after  her,  trying  still  to  catch 
her.  The  bright  light  of  the  sun  is  caused  by  the  taper  which 
the  maiden  carries;  while  the  moon,  having  lost  his  taper,  is 
cold,  and  could  not  be  seen  but  for  his  sister's  light.  One  side 
of  his  face  being  smeared  with  soot,  is  therefore  black,  while 
the  other  side  is  clean  ;  and  he  turns  one  side  or  the  other  toward 
the  earth  as  suits  his  pleasure. 

That  cluster  of  stars  in  "  Ursa  Major,"  which  we  designate  as 
"  the  dipper,"  they  call  a  herd  of  «'  took-took,"  (reindeer.)  The 
stars  of  "  Orion's  belt,"  seen  far  away  in  the  south,  are  seal- 
hunters  who  have  lost  their  way.  The  "  Pleiades  "  are  a  pack  of 
dogs  in  pursuit  of  a  bear.  Other  clusters  and  other  stars  have 
other  names.  The  aurora  borealis  is  caused  by  the  spirits  at 
play  with  one  another.  Rain  is  the  overflowing  of  the  heavenly 
lakes  on  the  ever-green  banks  of  which  live  the  happy  spirits 
who  have  taken  up  their  abode  in  the  skies,  where  sunshine  and 
summer  are  eternal.  These  happy  spirits  have  abundance  to  eat 
without  the  trouble  of  catching  it. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

M'CLINTOCK'S   SEARCH. 

THE  search  for  the  Sir  John  Franklin  party  has  occupied  such 
a  large  amount  of  public  attention  in  both  hemispheres,  that  it 
is  next  in  interest  to  the  discovery  of  the  Pole  itself.  A  sum- 
mary of  the  several  expeditions  sent  out  from  England  and 
America  for  the  search  or  relief  of  Franklin  and  his  men  has 
been  given  in  an  earlier  part  of  this  book.  Of  these  the  most 
important,  because  it  obtained  the  greatest  success,  was  an  expe- 
dition commanded  by  Capt.  F.  L.  McClintock,  who  sailed  from 
England,  in  the  steamer  Fox,  July  2,  1857,  one-half  the  expenses 
of  the  expedition  being  borne  by  Lady  Franklin. 

McClintock  did  not  go  into  winter  quarters  with  his  ship  untU 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  731) 

October  28th,  1858,  when  he  selected  Port  Kennedy  for  his  per- 
manent station,  and  then  started  by  sledge  for  King  William's 

**  C  O 

Land.  About  March  1st,  following,  while  encamped  very  near 
the  position  of  the  magnetic  pole,  he  saw  four  Esquimaux  ap- 
proaching in  a  friendly  manner,  and  upon  meeting  them  received 
the  first  intimation  of  the  fate  which  had  befallen  Franklin's 
party.  These  Esquimaux  conducted  him  to  their  village,  several 
miles  distant,  and  entertained  him  en  route  with  information  con- 
cerning the  lost  explorers.  One  of  the  Esquimaux  wore  a  naval 
button  sewed  upon  his  skin  coat,  and  in  reply  to  inquiries  freely 
confessed  that  the  button,  together  with  many  other  things,  was 
obtained  from  the  bodies  of  several  white  men  who  had  starved 
to  death  upon  an  island  in  Repulse  Bay.  One  of  them  counted 
upon  his  fingers  seven,  representing  the  number  of  bodies  he  had 
seen. 

Ten  miles  further  travel  brought  McClintockto  Cape  Victoria, 
where  the  four  Esquimaux  built  for  him  and  his  men  a  commo- 
dious snow-hut,  occupying  little  more  than  half  an  hour  in  its  con- 
struction, and  here  he  was  visited  by  nearly  fifty  more  Esquimaux, 
who  came  to  barter  relics  of  Franklin's  party  for  knives  and 
needles.  In  this  exchange  McClintock  secured  six  silverspoons 
and  forks,  a  silver  medal,  part  of  a  gold  chain,  several  buttons, 
and  pieces  of  wood  taken  from  the  wreck  of  the  boats  belonging 
to  the  vessel  in  which  Franklin  had  sailed.  The  Esquimaux  told 
him  that  one  of  the  vessels  had  been  crushed  in  the  ice  and  sunk, 
but  they  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  the  other.  McClin- 
tock, writing  of  this  traffic,  says:  "Esquimau  mothers  carry 
their  infants  on  their  backs  within  their  large  fur  dresses,  and 
where  the  babes  can  only  be  got  at  by  pulling  them  out  over  the 
shoulder.  Whilst  intent  upon  my  bargaining  for  silver  spoons 
and  forks  belonging  to  Franklin's  expedition,  at  the  rate  of  a 
few  needles  or  a  knife  for  each  relic,  one  pertinacious  old  dame, 
after  having  obtained  all  she  was  likely  to  get  from  me  for  her- 
self,-pulled  out  her  infant  by  the  arm,  and  quietly  held  the  poor 
little  creature  (for  it  was  perfectly  naked)  before  me  in  the 
breeze,  the  temperature  at  the  time  being  60°  below  freezing 


740  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

point  I  Fetersen  informed  me  that  she  was  begging  for  a  needle 
for  her  child.  T  need  not  say  I  gave  it  one  as  expeditiously  as 
possible  ;  yet  sufficient  time  elapsed  before  the  infant  was  again 
put  out  of  sight  to  alarm  me  considerably  for  its  safety  in  such  a 
temperature.  The  natives,  however,  seemed  to  think  nothing  of 
what  looked  to  me  like  cruel  exposure  of  a  naked  baby." 

A    GHASTLY   DISCOVERY. 

McCLiNTOCK  returned  to  his  ship  after  a  week  spent  among 
the  natives  referred  to,  in  order  to  increase  his  provisions,  that 
he  might  be  prepared  to  proceed  further  north  and  follow  up  the 
interesting  clue  he  had  obtained.  In  April,  1859,  he  loader!  sev- 
eral sledges,  increased  his  force,  and  started  again  for  the  head 
of  King  William's  Land.  In  latitude  70°  30'  N.  he  met  with  two 
Esquimau  families,  numbering  twelve  persons.  From  these  he 
purchased  a  file,  and  a  ship  cutlass,  besides  seeing  several  other 
things  that  had  belonged  to  the  Franklin  party.  These  natives 
also  told  him  that  they  had  seen  one  of  the  Franklin  ships  sink, 
while  the  other  was  driven  upon  the  shore,  where  she  was  broken 
up,  and  from  this  latter  vessel  they  had  obtained  the  relics.  The 
natives  also  declared  that  the  men  on  both  vessels  had  escaped, 
and  rowed  away  in  two  boats  up  a  "  large  river,"  to  an  island  on 
which  their  bones  were  afterward  found.  The  large  stream 
proved  to  be  the  Great  Fish  River,  which  McClintock  followed, 
and  on  May  24th  came  upon  a  human  skeleton  partly  exposed, 
with  a  few  fragments  of  clothing  still  adhering  to  it ;  but  there 
was  nothing  found  by  which  the  body  could  be  identified.  This 
skeleton  was  convincing  proof  to  McClintock  that  he  was  now  on 
the  route  traveled  by  the  Franklin  party  in  their  retreat,  when, 
as  had  been  told  him  by  an  old  Esquimau  woman,  the  white  men 
had  fallen  down  one  after  another  and  died  on  the  march.  Two 
days  later  a  cairn  was  found  in  which  were  deposited  the  records 
of  the  Franklin  party,  with  many  relics,  evidently  abandoned 
because  they  could  be  carried  no  further. 

On  May  30th  a  large  boat  was  found,  28  feet  long  and '7  feet 
3  inches  wide,  which  had  been  built  at  the  Woolwich  dockyard  • 
in  this  bout  were  two  skeletons,  one  of  a  sp 


THE    WORLD'S    WOHDfcKS. 


V4l 


other  of  a  large,  middle-aged  man.  They  were  in  opposite  ends 
of  the  boat,  and  not  entire,  as  portions  of  the  lower  extremities 
had  been  displaced,  probably  by  wolves.  Several  articles  lay 
within  the  boat,  including  among  other  less  valuable  things,  live 
watches  and  two  double-barreled  guns — one  barrel  in  each  loaded 
and  cocked — standing  muzzle  upward  against  the  boat's  side 
There  was  also  a  great  quantity  of  clothing  ;  eight  pairs  of  boots 
of  various  kinds,  and  a  number  of  silk  handkerchiefs.  In  addi- 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  BOAT  AND  SKELETONS. 

tion  to  these,  there  were  towels,  soap,  sponges,  tooth-brushes, 
hair-combs,  gun-covers,  twine,  nails,  saws,  files,  bristles,  wax- 
ends,  powder,  bullets,  shot,  cartridges,  needles,  knives,  slow- 
matches,  bayonet  scabbards,  sheet-lead,  a  large  quantity  of  sil- 
verware, and  numberless  other  things,  enough  dead  weight  to 
break  down  the  strength  of  any  sledge  crew. 

Capt.  McClintock's  surmises  concerning  these  men  are  thus 
expressed   by  him:    "Of  the  many  men,  probably  twenty  or 


742  THK  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

thirty,  who  were  attached  to  this  boat,  it  seemed  most  strange 
that  the  remains  of  only  two  individuals  Avere  found,  nor  were 
there  any  graves  upon  the  neighboring  flat  land  ;  indeed,  bearing 
in  mind  the  season  at  which  these  poor  fellows  left  their  ships,  it 
should  be  remembered  that  .the  soil  was  then  frozen  hard,  and 
the  labor  of  cutting  a  grave  very  great  indeed.  A  little  reflection 
led  me  to  satisfy  my  own  mind,  at  least,  that  the  boat  was  return- 
ing to  the  ships  ;  and  in  no  other  way  can  I  account  for  two  men 
having  been  left  in  her,  than  by  supposing  the  party  were  unable 
to  drag  the  boat  further,  and  that  these  two  men,  not  being  able 
to  keep  pace  with  their  shipmates,  were  therefore  left  by  them 
supplied  with  such  provisions  as  could  be  spared  to  last  until  the 
return  of  the  others  from  the  ship  with  a  fresh  stock." 

Though  McClintock  continued  the  search  with  great  persis- 
tency, he  could  never  come  upon  any  other  bodies.  Several 
cairns  were  found,  in  one  of  which  he  discovered  a. pile  of  cloth- 
ing four  feet  high.  The  pockets  in  these  were  all  searched,  but 
nothing  was  found. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  when,  in  1830,  Sir  James 
Ross  discovered  Point  Victory,  he  named  two  points  of  land, 
then  in  sight,  Cape  Franklin  and  Cape  Jane  Franklin,  respect- 
ively. Eighteen  years  afterward  Franklin's  ships  perished  within 
sight  of  these  headlands. 

Capt.  McClintock  returned  to  England  September  23,  1859, 
and  for  his  success  was  knighted,  besides  being  received  by  his 
countrymen  generally  with  the  most  generous  demonstrations. 

CAPT.    HALL    DISCOVERS    THE    LOST    VESSELS. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  Capt.  Hall  was  a  great  enthusiast 
on  Arctic  exploration,  and  that  through  Congressional  assistance 
and  aid  from  English  friends,  he  started  from  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, in  July,  1864,  to  continue  the  search  so  hopefully  and 
encouragingly  prosecuted  by  Sir  Francis  McClintock. 

In  April,  1866,  while  seeking  a  passage  across  Colville  Bay, 
near  Cape  Beaufort,  Hall  discovered  four  Esquimaux  in  the  dis- 
tance, sealing.  He  was  much  concerned  lest  these  strangers 
should  prove  to  be  See-ne-mee-utes,  who  are  more  hostile  than 


THE    WOULD  8    WONDERS. 


the  other  Esquimau  tribes,  being,  in  fact,  highwaymen  dangerous 
to  meet.  As  a  measure  of  precaution,  Hall  unloaded  one  of  his 
sledges  and  sent  it  back  for  reinforcements  ;  these  arriving,  he 
advanced  toward  the  strangers,  until  coming  near  he  was  rejoiced 
to  find  them  friendly  Innuits.  A  snow  igloo  was  speedily  built 
for  Hall,  who  then  received  the  scores  of  Esquimaux  who  now 
surrounded  him.  From  these  he  obtained,  through  barter,  some 
spoons  which  had 
been  given  a  native 
by  Capt.  Crozier,  of 
the  Erebus.  A  sil- 
ver watch-case  and 
other  relics  of  the 
Franklin  party  were 
purchased  of  the 


DRIFTING  TO   DEATH — THE  LAST  SURVIVORS   OF  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN'S    EXPEDITION. 

Esquimaux,  some  of  whom  acknowledged  that  they  had  been  on 
board  Sir  John  Franklin's  vessels.  Two  of  the  older  natives — a 
man  and  his  wife — s-iid  they  had  camped  alongside  of  Franklin 
during  one  spring  rfiid  summer,  and  described  him  so  well  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  that  they  told  the  truth.  They  spoke  of  him  in 
the  highest  terms  ;  that  he  was  always  hospitable,  sharing  his 
provisions  liberally  with  them,  and  was  so  good-natured  as  to  be 
always  laughing. 


744  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

The  old  man  and  his  wife  agreed  in  saying  that  the  ship  on 
board  of  which  they  had  often  seen  Franklin  was  overwhelmed 
with  heavy  ice  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  While  the  ice  was 
slowly  crushing  it,  the  men  all  worked  for  their  lives  in  getting 
out  provisions  ;  hut,  before  they  could  save  much,  the  ice  turned 
the  vessel  down  on  its  side,  crushing  the  masts  and  breaking  a 
hole  in  her  bottom,  and  so  overwhelming  her  that  she  sank  at 
once,  and  had  never  been  seen  again.  Several  men  at  work  in 
her  could  not  get  out  in  time,  and  were  carried  down  with  her 
and  drowned.  On  this  account  Crozier's  company  had  died  of 
starvation,  for  they  had  not  time  to  get  the  provisions  out  of  her. 
Crozier  and  one  other  white  man — the  latter  called  "  Nar-tar"" 
(steward),  started  and  went  toward  Great  Fish  or  Back's  River, 
saying  they  were  going  there  on  their  way  home.  That  was  the 
last  they  saw  of  them,  but  they  heard  of  them  some  time  after 
from  a  Kin-na-pa-too,  who  said  he  and  his  people  heard  shots  or 
reports  of  guns  of  strangers  somewhere  near  Chesterfield  Inlet. 
On  getting  the  Innuits  to  try  to  pronounce  the  word  "doctor," 
they  invariably  said  "nar-tar."  This  made  Hall  think  that  the 
white  man  with  Crozier  was  some  one  called  "  doctor" — perhaps 
Surgeon  MacDonald,  of  Franklin's  ship,  the  Erebus. 

Another  ship  was  spoken  of  as  having  been  seen  near  Ook- 
goo-lik,  which  was  in  complete  order,  having  three  masts,  and 
four  boats  hanging  at  the  davits — whale-ship  like.  For  a  long 
time  the  Innuits  feared  to  go  on  board;  but  on  the  report  by 
one  of  them  that  he  had  seen  one  man  on  the  vessel  alive,  many 
of  the  natives  visited  it,  but  saw  nothing  of  the  man.  They 
then  rummaged  everywhere,  taking  for  themselves  what  they 
wanted,  and  throwing  overboard  guns,  powder,  ball  and  shot. 

At  an  interview  with  the  mother  of  Too-shoo-art-thar-iu,  whose 
son  saw  Crozier  on  the  island  of  Ook-goo  lik,  Hall  was  told  that 
during  the  previous  summer  or  winter  the  In.iuits  of  Ook-goo-lik 
hud  found  two  boats  with  dead  white  men  in  t^em — the  boats  on 
sledges,  and  that  an  Esquimau  then  had  one  of  Mie  sledges. 

This  information  excited  Hall  very  much  with  an  eager  desire 
to  go  at  once  to  the  place  where  the  stranded  vessel  was  reported 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  745 

to  be  lying,  hut  he  could  induce  none  of  the  natives  to  accom- 
pany him.  They  represented  that  Ook-goo-lik  had  become  an 
exceedingly  dangerous  locality,  by  reason  of  a  vendetta  then 
waging  between  two  Esquimau  tribes  growing  out  of  the  stealing 
of  a  woman.  While  trying  to  prevail  upon  the  friendly  natives 
to  assist  him  in  reaching  Cape  Victoria,  Hall  saw  two  Esquimaux 
of  a  different  tribe  approaching.  These  were  the  avaunt  couriers 
of  a  considerable  company  which  would  arrive  on  the  following 
day.  The  strangers  were  anxious  to  engage  in  a  wrestling  match 
with  some  of  Hall's  men,  but  a  friendly  woman  quietly  advised 
him  that  the  two  strangers  were  intent  upon  murder;  that  in 
their  mittens  they  had  each  concealed  a  sharp-pointed  bone,  with 
which  to  strike  their  adversaries  near  the  eye,  producing  a  death- 
blow. Hall  was  now  convinced  that  no  good  would  follow  the 
visit  of  the  strangers,  when  their  force  should  be  increased  by 
fresh  arrivals,  and  not  being  able  to  continue  his  journey  toward 
King  William's  Land  without  more  men,  he  retreated  back  to 
Repulse  Bay,  his  winter  quarters,  with  the  intention  of  renewing 
his  efforts  to  reach  Cape  Victoria  in  the  following  spring. 

The  chief  reason  of  Hall's  failure  to  continue  on  to  Cape  Vic- 
toria, after  reaching  the  boundary  of  King  William's  Land,  was 
owing  to  the  dread  the  Pelly  Bay  natives,  who  accompanied  him, 
had  of  the  See-ne-mee-utes,  a  set  of  murderous  fellows  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Bereus,  whose  favorite  ways  of  greeting 
a  stranger,  they  affirmed,  was  to  present  a  long  knife,  seemingly 
as  a  gift,  but  allowing  it  accidentally  to  slip  into  his  breast. 

The  custon  of  the  Esquimaux  of  Cumberland  Inlet  is  not  so 
barbarous  as  that  of  the  See-ne-mee-utes,  but  it  is  hardly  less 
singular,  as  reported  by  Lieut.  Kumlien,  of  the  Howgate  expedi- 
tion, who  says  :  "  When  a  stranger  arrives  at  an  encampment, 
the  Ancoot  and  the  stronger  face  one  another.  Both  have  mit- 
tens of  seal-skin.  The  stranger  complacently  folds  his  arms 
over  his  breast,  and  inclines  his  head  to  one  side,  so  as  fully  to 
expose  his  cheek,  while  the  Ancoot  deals  him  a  terrible  blow  on 
it,  sometimes  felling  him  to  the  ground.  The  two  actors  now 
change  parts,  and  it  becomes  the  stranger's  turn  to  strike,  which 


740  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

he  does  with  a  vengeance.  The  two  then  kiss  each  other,  the 
ceremony  is  over,  and  due  hospitality  is  shown  to  the  stranger 
by  all." 

PARENTS    HUNG   BY   THEIR    CHILDREN. 

HALL  had  some  wonderful  experiences  with  his  Pelly  Bay  men, 
whose  superstitious  natures  almost  surpass  belief.  On  his  return 
from  Cape  Beaufort,  the  child  of  a  woman  belonging  to  his  party 
died.  A  short  time  after  its  burial  Hall  was  accused  of  causing 
its  death  by  laying  his  hand  on  the  child's  head.  An  old  chief, 
more  sensible  than  the  others,  did  not  unite  Avith  his  people  ii? 
this  accusation,  but  rather  showed  his  faith  in  Hall  by  taking 
some  medicine  which  had  been  prescribed  for  himself  and  chil- 
dren. This  act  so  incensed  the  chief's  wife  that  she  hung  herself, 
and  not  long  after  the  chief  himself  was  hung  by  his  own  son, 
and  further  serious  trouble  was  averted  only  by  the  intercession 
of  Repulse  Bay  natives.  The  editor  of  Hall's  Journal  appends 
the  following  foot  note  with  reference  to  the  reported  suicide  of 
the  chief  and  his  wife  :  "  The  circumstances  of  these  deaths  are 
not,  however,  given  by  Hall  with  his  usual  clearness.  At  a  later 
date  he  says  that  the  son  of  the  chief  told  him,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  '  He  was  very  sorry  he  had  no  father  or  mother  living 
with  him,  but  that  it  had  been  his  duty  to  hang  them,  as  it  was 
at  their  request,  and  that  by  their  dying  thus  they  would  be  sure 
to  go  to  that  happy  place  where  all  good  Innuits  go.'  See-puny- 
er,  it  was  well  known,  had  hung  his  grandfather  when  he  had 
become  feeble.  Too-koo-li-too  said  that  these  Pelly  Bay  natives, 
as  well  as  the  Neitchilles,  believed  in  Kud-lec-pur-me-an  and  Ad- 
lee-pur-me-an  (a  good  and  a  bad  place)  ;  but  she  thought  the 
Iwillik  people  believed  in  nothing  of  the  kind."  Subsequently 
it  was  claimed  that  the  old  woman  was  hung  as  a  peace-offering. 

The  account  is  somewhat  confused,  it  must  be  admitted,  and 
no  doubt  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  common  custom  among  several 
Esquimau  tribes  to  hang,  or  otherwise  kill,  their  infirm,  to  pre- 
vent them  from  becoming  a  burden  upon  the  people,  as  previously 
mentioned.  As  such  a  brutal  custom  was  vigorously  condemned 
by  Hall,  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  old  chief  and  his  wife  were 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  717 

hung  for  their  infirmities,  but  to  prevent  an  investigation  by  tlie 
white  man  it  was  reported  to  him  that  they  had  committed  suicide. 

In  the  following  year — during  November — on  his  second  trip 
toward  King  William's  Land,  Hall  met  with  another  evidence  of 
the  cruelty  of  the  Pelly  Bay  natives  toward  their  sick  or  aged 
people,  which  he  describes  as  follows: 

"When  the  party  wished  to  encamp  at  night  on  the  14th  of  the 
month,  they  took  possession  of  a  newly-deserted  igloo.  It  was 
dark  at  4  p.  M.,  when  they  entered,  but  soon  afterward  an  Innuit 
known  as  Tom  came  in  with  his  child  from  one  of  his  deer-meat 
caches.  He  brought  the  news  that  Ar-tunrj-un — the  man  who  at 
Ig-loo-lik  had  once  exchanged  names  with  Hall — was  at  the  point 
of  death  in  a  village  a  little  northward.  Hall  visited  him  the 
next  day,  but  found  that  the  poor  consumptive  was  past  saving, 
and  was  insisting  that  his  son  should  end  his  sufferings  by  stab- 
bin  o"  him  or  bv  shooting  him  with  an  arrow,  against  which  Hall's 

O  •* 

earnest  interposition  was  ineffectual.  The  igloo  which  he  had 
been  occupying  had  been  built  by  Ar-tung-uns  son,  that  he  might 
remove  to  it  instantly  on  his  father's  death,  and  so  avoid  the  loss 
of  several  days  of  mourning.  The  day  following  this  dutiful 
son  hung  his  father." 

DISCOVERING    THE    SKELETONS    OF    FRANKLIN' S    TARTY. 

HALL  was  prevented  from  reaching  King  William's  Land,  in 

1868,  by  dissensions  and  mutiny  among  his  men.     Frequent  fail- 
ures, however,  in  no  wise  diminished  his  ardor  and  determination 
to  find  the  remains  of  the  Franklin  party,  which  had  been  defi- 
nitely located  by  various  corroborative  reports  received  from  the 
Esquimaux.     He  therefore  set  out  for  the  third  time,  in  March, 

1869,  and  this  time  succeeded  almost  beyond  his  most  sanguine 
expectations,  for  he  found  the  skeletons  of  nearly  a  score  of  the 
unfortunate  party,  besides  boats,  records,  instruments,  and  other 
relics,  which  enabled  him  to  determine  the  results  of  Franklin's 
expedition  as  well  as  its  fate.     In  a  letter  which  he  wrote  from 
Eepulse  Bay  to  Mr.  Grinuell,  dated  June  20,  1869,  he  summed 
up  the  results  of  his  search  as  follows : 

"  The  results  of  my  sledge  journey  to  King  William's  Land 


748  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

may  be  summed  up  thus  :  It  was  late  in  July,  J848,  that  Crozier 
and  his  party  of  about  forty  or  forty-five  passed  down  the  west 
coast  of  King  William's  Land  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Herschel. 
The  party  was  dragging  two  sledges  on  the  sea  ice,  which  was 
nearly  in  its  last  stages  of  dissolution  :  one  a  large  sledge,  laden 
with  an  awning-covered  boat,  and  the  other  a  small  one,  laden 
with  provisions  and  camp  material.  Just  before  Crozier  and 
party  arrived  at  Cape  Herschel,  they  were  met  by  four  families 
of  natives,  and  both  parties  went  into  camp  near  each  other. 
Two  Eskimo  men,  who  were  of  the  native  party,  gave  me' much 
sad  but  deeply  interesting  information.  Some  of  it  stirred  my 
heart  with  sadness,  intermingled  with  rage,  for  it  was  a 'confes- 
sion that  they,  with  their  companions,  did  secretly  and  hastily 
abandon  Crozier  and  his  party  to  suffer  and  die  for  need  of  fresh 
provisions,  when  in  truth  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  natives  to 
save  every  man  alive. 

"The  next  trace  of  Crozier  and  his  party  is  to  be  found  in  the 
skeleton  which  McClintock  discovered  a  little  below,  to  the  south- 
ward and  eastward  of  Cape  Herschel  ;  this  was  never  found  by 
the  natives.  The  next  trace  is  a  camping-place  on  the  sea-shore 
of  King  William's  Land,  about  three  miles  eastward  of  Pfeffer 
River,  where  two  men  died  and  received  Christian  (?)  burial. 
At  this  place  fish-bones  were  found  by  the  natives,  which  showed 
them  that  Crozier  and  his  party  had  caught  while  there  a  species 
of  fish  excellent  for  food,  with  which  the  sea  there  abounds. 
The  next  trace  of  this  party  occurs  about  five  or  six  miles  east- 
ward, on  a  long,  low  point  of  King  William's  Land,  where  one 
man  died  and  was  buried.  Then,  about  south-southeast  two  and 
a-half  miles  further,  the  next  trace  occurs  on  Todd's  Islet,  where 
the  remains  of  five  men  lie.  The  next  certain  trace  of  this  party 
is  on  the  west  side  of  the  islet,  west  of  Point  Richardson,  on 
some  low  land  that  is  an  island  or  part  of  the  main  land,  as  the 
tide  may  be.  Here  the  awning-covered  boat  and  the  remains  of 
about  thirty  or  thirty-five  of  Crozier's  party  were  found  by  the 
native  Poo-yet-ta,  of  whom  Sir  John  Ross  has  given  a  descrip- 
tion in  the  account  of  his  voyage  in  the  Victory  in  1829-'34. 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  749 

"  In  the  spring  of  1849  a  large  tent  was  found  by  the  natives 
whom  I  saw,  the  floor  of  which  was  completely  covered  with  the 
remains  of  white  men.  Close  by  were  two  graves.  This  tent 
was  a  little  way  inland  from  the  head  of  Terror  Bay.  In  the 
spring  of  1861,  when  the  snow  was  nearly  all  gone,  an  Eskimo 
party,  conducted  by  a  native  well  known  throughout  the  northern 
regions,  found  two  boats,  with  many  skeletons  in  and  about  them. 
One  of  these  boats  had  been  previously  found  by  McClintock  ; 
the  other  was  found  lying  from  a  quarter  to  a  half-mile  distant, 
and  must  have  been  completely  entombed  in  snow  at  the  time 
McClintock's  parties  were  there,  or  they  most  assuredly  would 
have  seen  it.  In  and  about  this  boat,  beside  the  skeletons  alluded 
to,  were  found  many  relics,  most  of  them  similar  in  character  to 
those  McClintock  has  enumerated  as  having  been  found  in  the 
boat  he  discovered. 

"  I  tried  hard  to  accomplish  far  more  than  I  did,  but  not  one 
of  the  company  would  on  any  account  whatever  consent  to  remain 
with  me  in  that  country,  and  make  a  summer  search  over  that 
island,  which,  from  information  I  had  gained  from  the  natives,  I 
had  reason  to  suppose  would  be  rewarded  by  the  discovery  of 
the  whole  of  the  manuscript  records  that  had  been  accumulated 
in  that  great  expedition,  and  had  been  deposited  in  a  vault  a  little 
way  inland  or  eastward  of  Cape  Victory.  It  is  quite  probable 
that,  had  we  remained  there,  as  I  wished,  no  one  of  us  would 
ever  have  got  out  of  the  country  alive.  How  could  we  expect, 
if  we  got  into  straitened  circumstances,  that  we  would  receive 
better  treatment  from  the  Eskimos  of  that  country  than  the  105 
souls  who  were  under  the  command  of  the  heroic  Crozier  some 
time  after  landing  on  King  William's  Land?  Could  land  my 
party  with  reasonable  safety  have  remained  to  make  a  summer 
search  on  King  William's  Land,  it  is  not  only  probable  that  we 
should  have  recovered  the  logs  and  journals  of  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin's  Expedition,  but  have  gathered  up  and  entombed  the  remains 
of  nearly  one  hundred  of  his  companions  ;  for  they  lie  about  the 
places  where  the  three  boats  have  been  found,  and  at  the  large 
camping-place  at  the  head  of  Terror  Bay,  and  the  three  other 


750  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

• 
places  that  I  have  already  mentioned.     In  the  cove,  west  side  of 

Point  Richardson,  however,  nature  herself  has  opened  her  bosom 
and  given  sepulture  to  the  bones  of  the  immortal  heroes  who 
died  there.  Wherever  the  Eskimos  ^have  found  the  graves  of 
Franklin's  companions,  they  have  dug  them  open  and  robbed  the 
dead,  leaving  them  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  wild  beasts.  On 
Todd's  island  the  remains  of  five  men  were  not  buried  :  but,  after 
the  savages  had  robbed  them  of  every  article  that  could  be  turned 
to  account  for  their  use,  their  dogs  were  allowed  to  finish  the 
disgusting  work. 

*'  I  could  have  readily  gathered  great  quantities — a  very  great 
variety — of  relics  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  Expedition,  for  they 
are  now  possessed  by  natives  all  over  the  Arctic  regions  that  I 
visited  or  heard  of — from  Pond's  Bay  to  Mackenzie  River.  As  it 
was,  I  had  to  be  satisfied  with  taking  upon  our  sledges  about  3  25 
pounds'  total  weight  of  relics  from  natives  about  King  William's 
Land." 

In  addition  to  th;ese  relics,  Capt.  Hall  recovered  a  skeleton 
entire,  which  he  brought  with  him  to  the  United  States.  The 
remains  were  subsequently  forwarded  to  England,  where,  by  the 
plug  of  a  tooth,  they  were  identified  as  those  of  Lieut.  Vesconte, 
of  the  Erebus. 

THE    JEANNETTE    EXPEDITION. 

THE  loss  of  the  Jeannette,  and  the  long  and  fatal  sufferings  of 
her  crew,  constitute  one  of  the  most  painful  stories  that  has  ever 
been  told  of  the  mysterious  Northern  sea. 

Geo.  W.  DeLong  was  young  when  he  died  on  the  frozen  coast- 
fields  of  Siberia,  but  his  short  life  was  made  up  of  stirring  inci- 
dents. Born  in  New  York  city  in  1844,  he  received  the  educa- 
tional advantages  of  the  Metropolis,  but  the  solicitude  of  his 
mother  bound  him  so  completely  to  the  fireside  that,  up  to  twelve 
years  of  age,  he  had  participated  in  few  boyish  sports,  and  was  as 
effeminate  as  a  girl.  An  accident,  by  which  his  ear  was  badly 
injured  from  the  blow  of  a  hard  snowball,  confined  him  indoors 
for  several  months,  during  which  time  he  read  several  of  Capt. 
Marry  at' a  marine  novels,  and  these  gave  him  a  longing  for  the 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  751 

sea.  To  all  his  mother's  pleading  for  him  to  adopt  the  profession 
either  of  law,  medicine,  or  the  ministry,  he  uttered  strong  protes- 
tations. In  1861,  by  the  exercise  of  great  persistence,  he  secured 
a  cadetship  in  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1865.  His  first  assignment  was  as  midshipman  on 
the  U.  S.  steamer  Canandaigua,  on  which  he  made  a  three  years' 
cruise  along  the  coasts  of  Europe  and  Africa  and  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean,  and  upon  his  return  he  was  promoted  to  lieutenant.  In 
1871  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Wotton,  of  Havre,  France, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  on  the  U.  S.  man-of-war  lying  in 
that  harbor.  One  year  later  he  became  executive  officer  of  the 
Nantasket,  and  in  the  following  year  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  steam  launch  Juniata,  which  was  attached  to  the 
North  Atlantic  squadron,  and  dispatched  to  the  relief  of  the 
steamer  Polaris,  which  vessel  had  been  sent  out  on  an  expedition 
to  the  North  Pole  under  Capt.  Hall.  DeLong  brought  the  Juni- 
ata  to  harbor  at  Upernavik,  and  from  that  point  conducted  a 
boat  journey  along  the  coast,  in  search  of  the  Polaris,  as  far  as 
Cape  York.  This  experience  in  the  Arctic  regions  inspired  him 
with  a  passionate  desire  to  command  an  expedition  to  search  for 
the  North  Pole,  an  ambition  which  was  gratified,  in  1876,  by 
James  Gordon  Bennett  purchasing  the  steamer  Pandora  and 
placing  her  at  the  disposal  of  DeLong.  The  Pandora  was 
thought  to  be  fairly  serviceable  for  the  purpose  of  navigating 
the  Arctic  sea,  but  she  was  nevertheless  thoroughly  overhauled, 
to  make  her  power  of  resistance  to  ice-floes  as  great  as  possible. 
This  was  done  at  Deptford,  after  which  she  was  taken  to  Havre, 
where,  on  July  4th,  she  was  rechristened  the  Jeannette,  and 
turned  over  to  DeLong.  Ten  days  later  the  vessel  steamed  out 
of  Havre  harbor  for  San  Francisco,  which  voyage  occupied  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  days.  At  San  Francisco  DeLong  received 
his  crew,  which  was  recruited  from  the  ranks  of  the  navy,  and 
the  officers  designated  by  the  Navy  Department. 

The  Jeannette  left  San  Francisco  July  8,  1879,  and  passed 
through  Behring's  Strait  the  last  of  August,  headed  for  Wran- 
<rel  Land.  Two  months  later  she  was  caught  in  an  ice-pack 


752  THE    WORLD'S    WONDERS. 

near  Herald  Island,  71°  28'  N.,  where  she  was  so  tightly  beset 
that  DeLong  concluded  to  go  into  winter  quarters.  Although 
the  ice  piled  up  around  the  vessel  in  great  masses  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  yet  she  constantly  drifted  northward,  where  all 
the  Arctic  currents  seem  to  tend.  On  the  19th  of  January  there 
was  a  singular  breaking  up  of  ice,  which  squeezed  the  vessel  so 
tightly  that  her  timbers  were  sprung  and  she  began  leaking  badly. 
All  efforts  to  repair  the  injury  were  futile,  and  to  keep  her  from 
sinking  the  pumps  had  to  work  incessantly.  This  caused  a  seri- 
ous consumption  of  coal  and  great  anxiety.  At  length  DeLong 
thought  of  building  a  wind-mill,  for  pumping  purposes,  which 
Melville,  the  chief  engineer,  was  entrusted  to  complete.  A  few 
days  sufficed  to  construct  the  new  motor,  and,  to  the  joy  of  all, 
it  worked  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner. 

The  winter  held  out  to  an  unusual  length,  and  in  May  there 
were  still  no  signs  of  open  water,  and  the  drifting  northward 
continued.  Observations  made  on  May  30,  1880,  showed  a  lati- 
tude of  74°  5'  27"  N.,  longitude  177°  E.,  which  indicated  a  total 
drift  of  nearly  3°  N.,  but  on  June  4th  DeLong  was  profoundly 
astonished  to  find,  from  observation,  that  a  sudden  change  in  the 
drift  had  occurred,  and  that  it  was  now  setting  southward.  This 
continued  until  June  30th,  when  they  had  gone  back  to  72°  19' 
41"  N.,  and  178°  27'  30"  E.,  when  the  wind  changed  and  turned 
the  drift  northward  again. 

SINKING    OF   THE    JE ANNETTE. 

THE  Jeannette  was  unfortunate  almost  from  the  first  day  she 
sailed  away  from  San  Francisco,  but  serious  misfortune  did  not 
befall  her  until  she  stuck  fast  in  the  ice-pack  so  ea'rly  in  her  voy- 
age. It  is  a  common  thing  for  vessels  to  be  so  caught  in  high 
latitudes,  but  usually  they  get  free  by  the  first  advent  of  spring, 
but  the  Jeannette  was  held  by  frozen  tethers  throughout  the  entire 
summer  of  1880.  The  crew  were  remarkably  fortunate,  however, 
in  procuring  fresh  meat,  as  either  bears,  seals,  or  birds  were  shot 
every  day,  and  the  larder  was  always  bountifully  supplied. 

Day  after  day,  like  Coleridge's  ancient  mariner,  the  Jeannette 
drifted,  over  a  sea  fast  bound,  and  whither  none  of  the  crew 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  753 

could  tell.  Thus  passed  the  fall  of  1879,  the  whole  of  1880, 
and  the  spring  of  1881,  with  dull  monotony  and  hopeless  long- 
ings. At  last,  on  June  10th,  1881,  the  ice  suddenly  opened 
alongside  the  vessel,  and  she  righted  to  an  even  keel.  There  was 
now  a  rift  through  the  great  field  of  ice  in  which  the  Jeannette 
lay,  but  her  injuries  were  such  that  constant  pumping  was  neces- 
sary ;  the  gravest  danger,  however,  was  to  be  apprehended  from 
the  parted  floes,  which  were  liable  to  come  together  at  any 
moment,  in  which  event  DeLong  knew  that  the  vessel  would  be 
crushed  like  an  egg-shell.  Every  man,  therefore,  trembled  with 
anxiety  at  the  threatened  calamity,  which  appeared  impending, 
and  they  worked  with  almost  superhuman  energy,  driving  up  the 
detached  ice  between  the  floes  so  as  to  fill  the  breach  near  the 
ship  and  relieve  her  from  the  pressure  should  the  floes  again  drift 
together.  DeLong's  journal  of  June  12th  reads  as  follows  : 

"At  7  :30  A.  M.  the  ice  commenced  to  move  toward  the  port 
side,  but  after  advancing  a  foot  or  two  came  to  rest.  Employed 
one  watcn  in  hauling  heavy  floe  into  a  small  canal  on  the  port 
bow,  to  close  it  up  and  receive  the  greater  part  of  the  thrust. 

"  At  4  P.  M.  the  ice  came  down  in  great  force  all  along  the  port 
side,  jamming  the  ship  hard  against  the  ice  on  the  starboard  side, 
causing  her  to  keel  16°  to  starboard.  From  the  snapping  and 
cracking  of  the  bunker  sides  and  starting  in  of  the  starboard 
ceilin"-,  as  well  as  the  opening  of  the  seams  in  the  ceiling  to  the 
width  of  one  and  one-fourth  inches,  it  was  feared  that  the  ship 
was  about  to  be  seriously  endangered,  and  orders  were  accord- 
ingly given  to  lower  the  starboard  boats  and  haul  them  away 
from  the  ship  to  a  safe  position  on  the  ice-floe.  This  was  done 
quietly  and  without  confusion.  The  ice,  in  coming  in  on  the  port 
side,  also  had  a  movement  toward  the  stern,  and  this  last  move- 
ment not  only  raised  her  port  bow,  but  buried  the  starboard 
quarter,  and  jamming  it  and  the  stern  against  the  heavy  ice,  effec- 
tually prevented  the  ship  rising  to  pressure.  Mr.  Melville  (chief 
engineer),  while  below  in  the  engine-room,  saw  a  break  across 
the  ship  in  the  wake  of  the  boilers  and  engines,  showing  that  so 
solidly  were  the  stern  and  starboard  quarters  held  by  the  ice  that 
48 


754 


THE   WORLD  S   WONDERg. 


the  ship  was  breaking  in  two  from  the  pressure  upward  exerted 
on  the  port  bow  of  the  ship.  The  starboard  side  of  the  ship 
was  also  evidently  broken  in,  because  water  was  rising  rapidly  in 


WRECK   OK  THE  JEANNETTE. 

the  starboard  coal-bunkers.    Orders  were  now  given  to  land  one- 

o 

half  of  the  pemmican  in  the  deck-house,  and  all  the  bread  which 
was  on  deck,  and  the  sleds  and  dogs  were  likewise  carried  to  a 
position  of  safety.  The  ship  was  heeled  22°  to  starboard,  and 


THE    WORLD'g    WONDERS.  755 

was  raised  forward  4'  6",  the  entire  port  bow  being  visible  also 
to  a  height  of  4'  6"  from  the  forefoot.  *  *  * 

"At  5  p.  M.  the  pressure  was  renewed,  and  continued  with 
tremendous  force,  the  ship  cracking  in  every  part.  The  spar- 
deck  commenced  to  buckle  up,  and  the  starboard  side  seemed 
again  on  the  point  of  coming  in.  Orders  were  now  given  to  get 
out  provisions,  clothing,  bedding,  ship's  books  and  papers,  and 
to  remove  all  sick  to  a  place  of  safety.  While  engaged  in  this 
work  another  tremendous  pressure  was  received,  and  at  6  P.M. 
it  was  found  that  the  vessel  was  beginning  to  fill.  From  that 
time  forward  every  effort  was  devoted  to  getting  provisions,  etc., 
on  the  ice,  and  it  was  not  desisted  from  until  the  water  had  risen 
to  the  spar-deck,  the  ship  being  now  heeled  to  starboard  30°. 
The  starboard  side  was  evidently  broken  in  abreast  of  the  main- 
mast, and  the  ship  was  settling  fast.  Our  ensign  had  been  hoisted 
at  the  mizzen,  and  every  preparation  made  for  abandoning  the 
ship,  and  at  8  p.  M.  everybody  was  ordered  to  leave  her.  Assem- 
bling on  the  floe,  we  dragged  all  our  boats  and  provisions  clear 
of  bad  cracks,  and'prepared  to  camp  down  for  the  night." 

At  3  o'clock  the  following  day,  June  13,  the  Jeannette  sank 
until  her  smoke-stack  was  barely  above  water,  in  which  position 
she  was  sustained  by  the  ice  an  hour  longer,  then  she  plunged 
below  with  a  lurch  that  imparted  a  swirl  to  the  water  like  a  min- 
iature maelstrom.  This  accident  occurred  in  latitude  77°  14'  57" 
N.,  longitude  155°  58'  45"  E. 

HELPLESS  ON  THE  WIDE,  WIDE  SEA. 

DRIFTING  for  nearly  two  years,  imprisoned  in  an  ice-pack, 
seemed  to  render  DeLong  and  his  party  insensible  to  the  new 
perils  which  now  faced  them,  for,  helplessly  cast  away  as  they 
were,  their  spirits  appeared  to  rise,  and  a  serenade  was  improvised 
to  entertain  the  party  on  the  evening  the  ship  was  lost.  Provis- 
ions were  abundant,  so  were  clothes  and  other  creature  comforts, 
and  a  respite  from  the  anxieties  attending  the  fate  of  the  ship 
was  improved  by  a  few  hours,  at  lea^t,  of  perfect  relaxation.  A 
comfortable  camp  was  made  on  the  Hoe,  and  the  next  four  days 
were  devoted  to  preparing  for  a  retreat  southward,  mounting  ihe 


756  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

boats  on  sleds,  packing  provisions,  and  making  sleeping  bags. 
On  June  17th  the  entire  party  moved  southward,  with  the  hope 
of  reaching  the  New  Siberian  islands,  and  from  there  to  make 
their  way  by  boats  to  the  coast  of  Siberia.  They  had  five  sledges 
and  three  boats — two  cutters  and  a  whale-boat — which  carried 
6,896  pounds  of  provisions,  besides  ammunition,  fire-arms,  cloth- 
ing, and  other  needful  sundries.  A  dreadful  march  now  began, 
during  which  hope  and  despair  alternated  from  day  to  day,  if 
not,  indeed,  from  hour  to  hour.  DeLong  had  only  twenty-two 
dogs,  so  that  every  man  had  to  lend  his  strength  to  dragging  the 
heavily-weighted  sledgos.  Sometimes  one  sledge  would  be  left  far 
behind,  blocked  by  some  obstruction,  which  would  require  a  re- 
turn of  the  advance  party  to  relieve  it,  so  that  it  was  marching 
and  doubling  back,  making  the  advance  both  tedious  and  ex- 
hausting. 

The  difficulties  of  traveling  now  increased,  as  openings  in  the 
ice  became  more  frequent  at  the  numerous  fissures,  which  were 
of  variable  widths,  though  never  broad  enough  to  warrant  the 
rigging  up  of  the  boats  ;  the  party  had  to  stop  and  bridge  the 
water  space  with  broken  pieces  of  ice,  which  was  a  work  of  infin- 
ite trouble  and  consumed  more  than  half  their  time.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  as  July  advanced  the  increase  in  temperature  began 
to  let  loose  immense  floes  that  form,  for  some  unaccountable 
reason,  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ;  these  rise  with  such  force  that 
they  break  the  heavy  surface  ice  and  pile  it  up  in  huge  hummocks, 
which  are  often  thirty  feet  high  and  cover  large  fields,  so  that 
passing  over  them  is  like  climbing  rough,  rocky  precipices.  This 
traveling  was  dreadfully  exhaustive,  and  required  the  men  to  go 
over.thesame  ground  four  times  each  way,  as  the  full  force  was 
needed  to  move  a  single  sledge.  Lieut.  Danenhowe::,  executive 
officer,  and  Lieut.  Chipp,  second  in  command,  had  been  sick  since 
1880,  or  almost  from  the  beginning  of  the  expedition,  and  this 
manner  of  traveling  so  aggravated  their  illness  that  they  were 
several  Jimes  upon  the  point  of  succumbing.  Danenhower  suf- 
fered principally  from  an  affection  of  his  eyes,  and  it  was  so 
painful  as  to  prove  a  severe  drain  upon  his  system.  Chipp  was 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  757 

still  more  seriously  affected,  with  a  debility  that  left  him  almost 
helpless,  yet  so  great  was  his  pluck  and  self-denial,  that  he 
insisted  on  walking,  to  relieve  the  hospital  sled,  though  he  could 
scarcely  take  a  score  of  steps  without  falling  from  sheer  weakness. 
"When  the  entire  party  was  almost  exhausted  from  their  hard 
journey  and  exposure,  from  lying  in  wet  blankets,  as  the  ice  sur- 
face was  constantly  covered  with  shallow  water,  caused  by  slow 
melting  under  the  sun's  rays,  their  low  spirits  were  suddenly 
revived  on  July  29th,  by  the  discovery  of  land  in  latitude  7G°  38' 
17"  N.,  long.  148°  20'  E.  After  great  exertion  this  land  was 
reached,  and  found  to  be  an  island  of  considerable  size  and  pos- 
sessing many  valuable  products,  among  which  were  bituminous 
coal  in  great  abundance,  several  different  kinds  of  succulent 
grasses,  beautiful  amethysts,  hematite, from  which  brown  metallic 
paint  is  made,  and  myriads  of  birds,  such  as  dovekies,  and  murres, 
which  nest  there.  Among  the  singular  discoveries  made  on  the 
island  were  quantities  of  drift-wood,  pieces  of  which  were  par- 
tially burned,  while  others  showed  axe-marks ;  there  were  also 
flowers  of  different  varieties,  and  a  live  butterfly  was  found  that 
had  the  appearance  of  belonging  to  the  tropics.  This  strange 
piece  of  land  was  taken  possession  of  in  the  name  of  the  United 
States,  and  named  Bennett  Island,  in  honor  of  the  patron  of  the 
expedition. 

LAUNCHED    ON   THE    SEA. 

DfiLoNG  remained  on  Bennett  Island  until  August  7th,  when 
open  water  was  discovered  southward,  which,  with  the  beautiful 
weather  they  were  then  having,  prompted  him  to  abandon  the 
island  and  take  to  the  sea  in  the  boats.  Accordingly,  the  three 
boats  were  launched,  and  manned  as  follows  : 

First  Cutter. — DeLong,  Ambler, Collins, Nindemann,Ericksen, 
Kaack,  Boyd,  Alexey,  Lee,  Noros,  Dressier,  Gortz,  Iversen. 

Second  Cutter. — Chipp,Dunbar,  Sweetman,  Sharvell,Keuhue, 
Starr,  Manson,  Warren,  Johnson,  Ah  Sam  (Chinaman). 

Whale-boat. — Melville,  Danenhower,  Newcomb,Cole,  Bartlett, 
Aneguin,  Wilson,  Lauterbach,  Tong  Sing,  Leach. 

The  provisions  were  equally  distributed  among  the  three  boats, 


758 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDKRS. 


and  at  9  A.  M.  the  party  embarked,  with  four  men  rowing  each 
boat.  The  dogs  had  been  reduced  in  number  from  twenty-two 
to  eight,  ten  being  shot  as  useless  on  account  of  fits,  and  four 
escaping.  DeLong  issued  an  order  appointing  Melville  to  the 
command  of  the  whale-boat,  while  the  second  cutter  was  given 
in  charge  of  Chipp,  DeLong  himself  remaining  with  the  first 
cutter.  In  this  order  he  instructed  them  to  keep  as  near  him  as 
possible,  but  in  case  of  separation  to  make  for  the  Lena  river, 


SEPARATION  OF  THE  BOATS. 


up  which  they  were  to  ascend  until  a  Russian  settlement  should 
be  reached,  then  to  open  communication  with  the  Government. 
Melville  was  instructed  to  obey  the  orders  of  Chipp,  should  they 
remain  together  after  .separating  from  DeLong. 

After  embarking  they  made  better  progress  than  before  reach- 
ing Bennett  Island,  but  their  labors  were  certainly  not  lessened, 
for  they  met  an  ice-floe  at  nearly  every  mile,  over  which  they 
were  forced  to  drag  their  boats,  sometimes  for  nearly  as  great  a 
distance  a*  they  had  made  by  water;  this  required  continual 


WORLD'S  WONDERS.  751) 

loading  and  unloading  of  the  boats,  so  that  in  a  week  after 
leaving  the  island  they  had  progressed  barely  forty  miles; .  This 
gave  DeLong  much  anxiety,  for  he  had  now  subsistence  for  only 
thirty-eight  days,  and  at  the  rate  he  was  then  traveling  starvation 
promised  to  overtake  the  party  before  they  could  reach  Siberia, 
unless  they  should  be  more  fortunate  in  finding  game  than  they 
had  been  since  the  Jeannelte  sank. 

Good  fortune  drove  them  upon  the  Siberian  islands,  where  a 
small  quantity  of  game  was  obtained,  but  pushing  ahead  to 
Semenooski  island,  they  were  still  more  fortunate,  killing  a  num- 
ber of  deer  and  ptarmigan,  upon  which  they  feasted  several  days 
most  bountifully. 

On  the  12th  of  September  the  boats  were  caught  in  a  terrible 
gale,  which  threatened  to  swamp  them,  and  would  have  done  so 
but  for  unremitting  bailing  and  pumping,  which  barely  kept  them 
afloat.  Being  at  the  mercy  of  the  wavesr  the  boats  separated, 
and  when  the  gale  subsided  each  boat  was  alone,  and  they  did 
not  meet  again.  DeLong  reached  the  Lena  Delta  September 
19th,  with  scarcely  two  days'  provisions  (full  rations)  left,  and 
set  out  to  find  a  Russian  settlement,  the  nearest  being,  as  he 
supposed,  about  ninety-five  miles.  His  boat  grounded  nearly  a 
mile  from  shore,  so  that  the  men  were  forced  to  w!Me  through 
the  icy  water  and  carry  their  things,  thus  subjecting  them  to  the 
most  dreadful  exposure.  There  was  plenty  of  drift-wood  along 
the  shore,  however,  and  a  large  fire  soon  dried  their  clothes  and 
served  to  give  them  new  hope. 

September  21st,  DeLong's  party  started  up  the  Lena  river, 
but  owing  to  the  extreme  illness  of  three  of  the  men,  Ericksen, 
Boyd,  and  Ah  Sam,  it  was  impossible  to  make  more  than  five 
miles  per  day,  for  there  were  no  means  at  hand  for  hauling  the 
sick.  After  thus  traveling  for  two  days  they  came  to  two  log 
huts,  one  of  which  was  new,  but  there  were  no  signs  of  life 
about  them.  DeLong  took  possession  of  these,  and  decided  to 
remain  there  while  Noros  and  Nindemann  were  sent  out  to  find 
relief.  At  this  time  provisions  for  only  two  days  remained,  so 
that  the  gravest  fears  were  excited  lest  starvation  should  overtake 


760 


THE    WORLD'S    WONDEllSv 


them  ;  deer  tracks  were  discernible  in  numerous  places,  and  one 
herd  was  seen,  but  it  was  impossible  to  secure  a  shot. 

The  sore  trouble  which  now  afflicted  them  caused  DeLong  to 
leave  the  huts  and  proceed,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties,  as  they  could 


not  hope  for  speedy  relief  except  by  the  killing  of  some  gam</. 
Poor  Ericksen's  condition  was  terrible  ;  his  foot,  which  had  been 
frozen,  sloughed  away  so  much  of  the  skin  as  to  expose  the 
sinews  and  muscles,  and  yet  he  was  forced  to  travel  and  carry  a 
load  of  nearly  forty  pounds.  When  their  last  provisions  were 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  761 

consumed,  the  most  extraordinary  good  luck  befel  them  ;  a  herd 
of  reindeer  was  sighted  and  three  large  bucks  killed.  This  saved 
the  party  from  starvation,  by  giving  them  food  sufficient  for 
three  days  longer. 

Thus  they  marched  until  October  6th,  when  Ericksen,  whose 
feet  had  been  amputated  two  days  before,  died,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Lena  river,  the  ground  being  so  hard  frozen  that  di"r<nn«i 

*— '  O  ™v?         C 

a  grave  was  impossible.  Here,  too,  the  party  were  in  great  dan- 
ger from  starvation  again,  as  the  only  food  now  left  was  a  few 
pounds  of  their  last  dog,  which  had  been  killed  the  day  before. 

The  record  from  October  10th  is  a  ghastly  one,  which  excites 
the  deepest  compassion.  In  the  absence  of  food  DeLong  served 
out  half  an  ounce  of  alcohol  or  glycerine  to  each  man.  Alexey, 
who  had  been  their  main  dependence,  as  it  was  he  who  had  done 
the  hunting,  succumbed  from  exhaustion  and  starvation  on  the 
17th,  followed  three  days  later  by  Kaack  and  Lee,  who  died 
from  the  same  cause.  Prayers  were  read  over  their  bodies,  but 
the  remainder  of  the  party  were  too  weak  to  give  them  any  kind 
of  burial.  Iversen  died  on  the  28th,  Dressier  on  the  29th,  and 
Boyd,  Gortz,  and  Collins  on  the  30th.  At  this  point  DeLong 
became  so  feeble  that  he  could  no  longer  keep  his  journal.  The 
rest  of  this  painful  story  can  only  be  surmised  by  the  subsequent 
discovery  of  the  Lieutenant's  body  lying  beneath  the  snow  in  the 
midst  of  his  forever  mute  comrades. 

Xindemann  and  Noros,  in  trying  to  obtain  relief,  in  obedience 
to  their  commander,  went  out  upon  a  march  over  a  trackless  and 
desolate  region,  to  encounter  hardships  fully  as  great  as  those 
under  which  DeLong  and  the  men  who  remained  with  him  suc- 
cumbed. Having  no  food  with  them  on  departing,  they  had  to 
take  the  chances  of  finding  it  on  the  way.  But  day  after  day 
followed  without  either  of  them  seeing  any  game,  and  to  stay 
the  gnawing  pangs  of  hunger  they  had  to  subsist  on  tea  made  of 
the  Arctic  willow,  and  pieces  of  their  seal-skin  clothes.  This 
diet,  dreadfully  unpalatable,  brought  on  dysentery,  which  so  ex- 
hausted them  that  they  abandoned  all  hope  and  felt  that  death 
was  near.  They  left  DeLong  October  9th,  and  so  floandered 


762 


THE    WORLD  S    WONDEftd. 


about  in  their  extreme  weakness,  that  by  Octobei  27th  they  hud 
hardly  traveled  thirty  miles,  but  through  God's  providence  they 
reached  a  collection  of  huts,  called  Ku  Mark  Surka,  where  some 
Russian  exiles  were  found,  who  treated  them  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  restored  them  to  life.  The  two  men  endeavored 
with  all  their  ability  to  make  the  Russians  understand  the  terrible 
plight  in  which  they  had  left  DeLong  and  his  party,  but  their 
efforts  were  without  avail,  as  sign  language  was  all  that  could  be 
used.  The  commandant  at  Ku  Mark  Surka  finally,  by  signs, 


HUTS   OF  THE  EXILES   AT   KU    MARK   SURKA. 

induced  Noros  to  write  something,  which  being  done,  the  Russian 
picked  up  the  paper  and,  hurrying  out  of  the  hut,  disappeared. 
He  returned  the  next  day,  and  to  their  astonishment  and  joy  was 
accompanied  by  their  late  companion,  Melville.  The  object  which 
the  Russian  had  in  securing  the  writing  was  now  apparent :  Mel- 
ville had  arrived  at  a  neighboring  village  several  days  before,  and 
the  Russian,  who  knew  of  the  fact^was  anxious  to  learn  if  Noros 
and  Nindemann  belonged  to  Melville's  party.  Experiences  were 
quickly  exchanged,  in  which  Melville  told  of  the  sufferings 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  7fl3 

endured  by  himself  and  his  men  after  parting  from  DeLong  ant! 
Chipp.  He  reached  the  Lena  Delta  after  several  narrow  escapes 
from  being  swamped,  and  proceeded  up  one  of  the  river's 
mouths.  He  had  been  lucky  in  meeting  natives  just  as  his  pro- 
visions were  exhausted,  and  these  supplied  him  and  his  party 
with  food,  and  piloted  him  to  the  village  of  Bulem,  where  he 
was  stopping  when  the  writing  of  Noros  reached  him. 

The  terrible  condition  of  DeLong  was  soon  told  to  Melville, 
who,  without  a  moment's  delay,  prepared  to  go  to  his  relief.  He 
could  speak  the  Russian  language  sufficiently  to  make  himself 
readily  understood,  and  he  was  thereby  enabled  to  enlist  such 
assistance  as  was  necessary.  Melville  took  with  him  Nindemann 
and  two  exiles,  with  provisions  for  a  ten  days'  journey,  while 
Noros,  Danenhower,  and  the  other  survivors,  were  sent  on  to 
Yakoutsk,  where  they  arrived  December  17th. 

Snoiv -storms,  which  had  prevailed  nearly  every  day  since 
October,  had  so  completely  covered  up  all  traces  of  Noros  and 
Nindemann's  trail,  that  Melville  had  nothing  to  guide  him  in  his 
search  for  DeLong,  who,  with  his  comrades,  now  lay  dead  beneath 
a  deep  winding-sheet  of  snow.  For  twenty-three  days,  however, 
he  continued  the  search,  going  on  reduced  rations  until  he  was  in 
the  greatest  danger  of  starvation,  but  still  refusing  to  abandon 
his  efforts  to  find  his  former  comrades  until  the  exiles  refused  to 
go  any  further,  and  the  dogs  which  drew  his  sledge  were  famish- 
ing. In  this  time  Melville  had  traveled  six  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  miles,  and  passed  almost  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the 
place  where  DeLong  lay  dead,  but  without  finding  the  bodies,  or 
any  signs  of  Lie  't.  Chipp  and  his  party.  He  could  do  nothing 
more,  except  to  send  a  dispatch  to  St.  Petersburg,  and  inform 
the  Russians  in  the  district  that  two  parties  of  his  countrymen 
had  been  lost  about  the  Lena  Delta,  and  ask  them  to  search  for 
their  bodies.  This  he  did,  and  then  proceeded  on  to  Yakoutsk, 
where  he  arrived  December  30th. 

Melville  put  himself  in  communication  with  the  American  Min- 
ister in  St.  Petersburg,  giving  a  full  account,  by  telegram,  of  the 
misfortunes  of  the  expedition.  Determined  to  leave  nothing 


764 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDEKS, 


undone  to  tiud  his  lost  comrades,  he  then  sent  Danehowei,  whose 
eyes  were  in  a  dreadful  condition,  to  the  United  States,  with  all 


the  others,  except  Nindemann  and  Burtlett,  whom  he  retained  to 
assist  him.  in  the  search  which  he  intended  to  renew  the  following 
spring.  During  his  stay  at  Yakoutsk  he  received  a  dispatch  from 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS.  765 

the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  instructing  him  to  omit  no  effort  and 
to  spare  no  expense  in  securing  the  safety  of  the  lost  explorers. 
This  dispatch  being  shown  to  the  Governor  of  Yakou(>k,  that 
officer,  with  a  spirit  of  great  generosity,  placed  at  Melville's  dis- 
posal all  the  money  and  provisions  and  any  number  of  men  that 
might  be  required.  Being  greatly  facilitated  in  his  efforts,  Mel- 
ville speedily  collected  teams,  men,  and  provisions,  with  which 
he  pushed  northward  to  Bulem  again,  which  he  reached  February 
18th.  A  month  was  now  spent  getting  dogs  and  establishing 
depots  of  supplies  at  the  necessary  rendezvous. 

March  16,  1882,  he  set  out  with  Nindemann  upon  his  search, 
but  they  were  forced  to  return  by  a  terrible  snow-storm,  in  which 
they  came  near  being  lost.  After  the  storm  had  abated  they 
started  again,  and  traveled  over  a  very  large  district  before  find- 
ing any  traces  of  the  route  which  DeLong  had  followed.  At 
length  they  came  to  the  river,  and  going  out  upon  a  headland 
leading  into  a  bay,  they  discovered  a  fire-bed  six  feet  in  diameter, 
and  from  its  evident  use  as  a  signal  they  knew  it  must  have  been 
one  of  DeLong's  camping  places. 

About  five  hundred  yards  from  where  the  fire  had  been  made, 
Melville  noticed  the  points  of  four  sticks  standing  up  out  of  the 
snow  about  eighteen  inches,  and  lashed  together  with  a  piece  of 
rope.  Making  a  careful  examination  of  this  place,  he  first  found 
a  tea-kettle,  then  an  arm  was  seen  protruding  from  the  snow, 
and  hastily  scraping  the  snow  away,  he  was  horrified  to  find  the 
body  of  his  late  commander,  Lieut.  DeLong.  This  convinced 
him  that  the  death-camp  was  near,  and  a  little  additional  effort 
soon  uncovered  the  bodies  of  Dr.  Ambler  and  Ah  Sam,  the  cook. 
The  bodies  were  all  carefully  taken  from  under  the  snow  and 
laid  side  by  side,  where  they  were  left  under  a  piece  of  old  tent 
cloth,  while  the  search  for  the  others  was  continued.  It  was  not 
until  the  following  day,  however,  that  the  blown-down  tent  was 
discovered,  as  it  lay  buried  in  a  drift  of  snow  nearly  twenty  feet 
deep.  The  tent  was  several  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  spot 
where  DeLong  lay,  and  under  its  frozen  folds  the  remains  of 
three  more  victims  of  the  expedition  were  found.  These  six 


766 


THE   WOULD  S    WONDERS. 


bodies  were  conveyed  to  a  knoll  of  ground  about  eight  miles  from 
where  they  were  found,  and  there  buried  in  one  large  box,  made 
from  the  timbers  of  DeLong's  cutter.  A  cairn  of  stones  was 
erected  over  the  grave,  in  the  apex  of  which  they  placed  a  cross, 


which  made  the  grave  a  conspicuous  object  for  several  miles,  thus 
rendering  it  easy  to  find. 

Having  performed  these  la.st  sad  duties,  the  indefatigable  and 
heroic   Melville  proceeded  to  search  for  Lieut.  Chipp  and  his 


THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 


7(17 


party,  of  whom  nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  since  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  boats  in  the  fatal  gale.  He  made  a  most  thorough 
search  of  the  Lena  Delta,  and  along  a  hundred  miles  of  the 
Siberian  coast,  but  could  find  no  trace  of  the  missin^  men.  Ik- 

o 

persisted  as  long  as  there  was  a  probability,  or  even  hope,  of 
success,  and  then  returned  to  Yakoutsk  sore  in  neart  over  his 
failure. 

In  the  meantime,  after  the  publication  of  the  dispatches  which 
he  had  forwarded  to  the  United  States,  several  parties  had  been 
sent  from  this 
country  to  aid  in 
the  search  for  the 
lost  explorers, 
and  one  ofthe.se, 
commanded  by 
Lieut.  Harbe  r , 
was  directed  to 
bring  the  bodies 
of  DeLong  and 
his  heroic  com- 
rades back  to 
America  for  in- 
terment, the  sum 
of  $25,000  hav- 
ing been  appro- 
priated by  the 
Government  for  that  purpose.  On  reaching  Yakoutsk,  Lieut. 
Harber  procured  reindeer  sledges,  and  proceeding  to  the 
graves  of  DeLong  and  his  companions,  the  bodies  were 
taken  up,  placed  on  the  sledges,  and  conveyed  to  Yakoutsk, 
arriving  there  early  in  1883.  Here  they  were  placed  in  caskets 
made  specially  for  their  reception,  and  then  brought  back  to 
America,  where  they  were  received  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
On  the  22d  of  February  the  bodies  we're  taken  from  the  Brook- 
lyn navy-yard  across  the  bay  to  the  Battery,  from  whence  they 
were  escorted  through  the  streets  of  New  York  bv  battalions  of 


GKAVE  OF   DELONG   AND   COMPANIONS. 


768  THE  WORLD'S  WONDERS. 

marines  and  regular  troops,  several  regiments  of  militia,  a  num 
her  of  societies,  and  a  vast  concourse  of  citizens,  who  thus  man- 
ifested their  admiration  and  respect  for  the  dead  heroes.  They 
were  then  returned  to  the  navy-yard,  where  they  lay  in  state  for 
twenty-four  hours,  the  day  being  observed  by  a  general  suspen- 
sion of  business  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  On  the  following 
day  the  remains  of  Collins  were  taken  to  the  Cathedral,  where 
mass  was  said  for  the  repose  of  his  soul,  after  which  the  body 
was  placed  on  board  the  steamer  Chicago,  and  sent  to  his  native 
land,  Ireland,  for  burial. 

On  the  23d  the  other  bodies  were  conveyed  to  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  where  services  were  held,  after  which  the  re- 
mains of  Commander  DeLong  were  consigned  to  a  final  resting 
place  in  Woodburn  Cemetery.  The  body  of  Dr.  Ambler  was 
taken  to  Alexandria,  Va.,  for  interment,  while  that  of  seaman 
Boyd  was  given  to  his  friends  in  Philadelphia. 

Lieut.  Chipp  and  the  seven  brave  men  who  rode  with  him  to 
death  in  the  second  cutter,  were  never  seen  or  heard  of  again 
after  the  boats  separated  in  the  gale.  Thus  ended  the  expedition 
that  sailed  away  amid  the  incense  of  hope,  promise,  and  the 
cheers  of  a  multitude  that  waved  benedictions  on  the  Jeannette 
as  she  gallantly  steamed  out  of  San  Francisco  harbor,  July  8th, 
1879.  Thus  do  dur  ambitions  often  rise  in  an  atmosphere  of 
glorious  expectation  and  confiding  faith,  only  to  fall  into  an  abyss 
of  impenetrable  gloom  and  black  despair  ;  but  good  intentions, 
which  develop  heroic  purposes,  are  never  uselessly  expended,  for, 
even  in  failure,  they  leave  a  spark  that  will  kindle  ugain  the  noble 
(1:uno  which  once  burned  for  them  in  vain. 

"  So  sleep  the  brave,  who  sink  to  rest 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest ; 
When  Spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mold, 
She  there  shall  grace  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  Fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod." 


UC  SOUTHERN  REG 


A     000040141     4 


